Fighting Back
by Miarix
Summary: A six year old Harry encounters Lord Voldemort in his hour of despair. The Wizarding World will never be the same. No Slash. Features a Sarcastic Harry, cause I love him.
1. The Meeting

I've always wanted to have a go at a Dark Harry story, since there aren't enough around where he's not all dead and angsty. Ok, he's a little like that in this story, but not too bad. I wanted to experiment with what my mind would come up with if he had met Voldemort when he was a kid. And how he would react. This is not a one-shot, it will hopefully be a series. Please read and review :)

Harry Potter does not belong to me, unfortunately. All characters associated with him and his world belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

I first met the Dark Lord when I was just six years old.

I was a scrawny, quiet bookworm of a kid. I rarely talked, but when I did, it was usually something sarcastic and laced with swear words. I guess that's why most Muggle kids avoided me. Not that it bothered me, of course.

Anyway, I lived with my disgusting relatives. My parents died when I was young, you see, so I was an orphan. My relatives were…not nice people. My uncle had a habit of hitting me for no good reason. He had a horrible temper. My aunt was just a bitch, who strived too hard to be 'normal'. And my cousin…well, although he was influenced by his parents, he was still a pig of a boy.

My story starts the day my relatives took Dudley to some play-gym for his birthday. I was left with Mrs. Figgs, but she fell asleep shortly after my arrival. I already had it all planned out.

I had watched a scene from a film a few nights before, while cleaning the mantle. Vernon was watching it. A man had shot himself in the head, in a desperate bid to escape whatever pressures he was under. He died quickly. I knew where Vernon hid his gun, and I knew what I had to do.

I was going to kill myself.

I sprinted across the street, up the stairs and into Vernon's bedroom. I kneeled beside his beside locker and ran my thumb over the lock. It opened with a click. Yeah. Did I mention I could do strange things? Well, I could.

I wretched the drawer open, shuffling the random letters and papers until my hand fell on something cold. I lifted out the silver handgun with a slightly dazed smirk on my face.

Numbly, I walked out into the garden. If I was going to die, I'd do it outside. It had always been a more favourite place of mine. It usually brought snakes, which were excellent conversation…well, until Vernon or Petunia killed them, of course.

I stood in the middle of the garden, and sighed. I closed my eyes, tilted my head to the side and pressed the cool barrel of the gun into the side of my throat. I pulled the trigger and…

The gun was wretched away from me. Just like that. My eyes shot open, a rare moment of absolute fury and despair set it. My mask fell back into place when I spun around and saw what had ruined my plan.

A man. He was standing on the other side of the picket fence, idly twirling the damned gun in his long, slender fingers. He was pale, and his face was gaunt. He looked ill. His hair was pitch black, and shoulder length, but tied back in a loose ponytail. The strangest of all, though, were his eyes. They were a deep, crimson red. With snake slits for pupils. Go figure.

I blinked, and he started to talk in an annoying drawl.

"That was an incredibly stupid way to attempt suicide, child." he chided me, a mocking glint in his eye. "Not only could have survived if someone had heard the gunshot and called for help, but you would have slowly and painfully bled to death. There are much more efficient ways to achieve death."

I stared at him long and hard for a moment, then set my jaw. "And how do you know so much about suicide?" I asked in my emotionless voice.

He raised an eyebrow at my strange tone, but answered nonetheless. "I am an intelligent man."

I snorted. "Clearly." I muttered sarcastically, then met his eye again. "Who the hell are you, anyway?" I walked over, standing before him at the opposite side of the fence. He was really tall.

He looked stunned for a moment, then looked like he was about to laugh. Then his face smoothed out once more. "I am Lord Voldemort." he proclaimed, rather grandly might I add.

I stared at him for a moment, no comprehending. "Is that supposed to mean something 'cause it's French?"

He stared at me, then shook his head. "Surely you know of me?" he asked incredulously.

I shook my head in mimic to his. "Nope. Should I?"

He muttered something among the lines of 'filthy Muggles', which confused me to no end.

"What are Muggles?" I asked, brow furrowing in confusion. Unbeknown to me, he had just spoken in Parseltongue. His face was a picture of shock.

"You…you are a Parseltongue?" he asked, blinking several times in surprise.

I gave him an odd look. "What's a Parsleytongue?" I questioned him, getting mixed up on the new foreign word.

"It means you can talk to snakes." he replied, studying me very closely, eyes moving to the messy bangs that covered my jagged scar.

"Oh. Yeah, I can talk to snakes. How'd you know?" I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him from behind my glasses.

He snapped out of his studying, and gave me a cool smirk. "I can too. It's called Parseltongue. Tell me, what do you know of magic?" He had a strange, knowing look in his eye that told me that he already knew the answer before it came.

"It doesn't exist." I replied in an automatic and dull voice. I was quite used to using the response to my uncle.

Lord Voldemort raised a dark eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he questioned in mock surprise. He flicked his wrist, and the gun in his hand appeared in my own. "Then what was that?"

I blinked, but put on a determined face. Surely this was a trick? "A coincidence. Or your just really fast. Listen, I'm not as stupid as I look. Now that I've got the gun back, I think I'll-"

He cut me off. Rudely, might I add. "Are you honestly saying you have never done anything unusual?"

I stared at him, and slowly frowned. I had disappeared once, and reappeared on the school roof. I had turned the teachers hair blue. I had grown my own hair back to it's normal length after a particularly…bad haircut by Petunia. I had made a kid at school fall to the ground screaming because I got mad when he took my book. And my injuries seemed to heal quicker each time I got hurt.

I slowly nodded. "Yeah…I've done some unusual things. But magic doesn't exist…right?" I wasn't so sure myself, now.

He gave another cool smirk, although this time it seemed a little…triumphant. "It does. I'm a wizard. You're a wizard. There's a full community of our kind." he explained casually.

I cocked my head to the side. "Then why am I living here?" I asked slowly, feeling pretty unsure and…a little abandoned.

He straightened up, and dusted imaginary dirt off his…dress? Whatever. "A story for another day. I'll be back. That is, if you don't go through with your little…_suicide_ idea." he commented dryly, gesturing to the gun in my hand.

I glanced down at the gun, then shook my head hesitantly. "Nah…I think I'll wait."

But when I looked up again, he was gone. So that's what the crack was…

I waited around for a few more days. He didn't come back. Eventually, I began to wonder if our encounter had ever really happened. Or if it was just a dream.


	2. Back Again

I got a few reviews, which made me very happy :D So, I wrote another chapter. I had already got some of the plot planned out in my head, so I just had to put it into words. I'm a quick typer. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. :) Read and review, please!

Harry Potter does not belong to me, unfortunately. All characters associated with him and his world belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

He did come back, though. And he picked a pretty dumb time to do it.

I was sitting under a tree in the school playground at recess. I was reading, of course, and I heard this gunshot. It took me a moment to realize it was a crack.

I could feel him standing next to me without even looking up from my book.

"Back again?" I muttered, turning the page.

"Of course. Did I not say I would be?" I could hear the arrogant smirk in his voice.

"Mm. I guess you did. Don't think I've forgotten about my question." I warned, my childish voice trying to sound threatening but just failing miserably. "Why am I living with those…what is it you called them? Muggles?"

I felt him shift a little uncomfortably in his position. "Ah. Yes. I see you have good memory." He sounds like he was huffing, or scowling. "Alright. To put things bluntly, I killed your parents."

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. I had been eagerly awaiting the mans return, and now he comes out with this. But wait…

"No…they died in a car crash." I insisted, frowning as I glanced up at him.

He was leaning casually against the tree trunk, arms loosely folded and one foot pivoted against the bark. He looked down at me, and raised an eyebrow. "Is that what they've been telling you? No, I killed them. Haven't you ever wondered where you got that scar?"

I pondered for a moment. Come to think of it, they'd given me the car crash excuse for that too. I had argued that if two adults didn't survive a car crash, neither could a mere infant. I'd gotten a slap across the face and a few days in the cupboard. That's love for you.

I realized he was waiting for an answer. "Yeah…I guess I have. Where'd that come from? The knife?" He seemed like the kind of guy who would stab someone to death. Or do something involving sharp tools. Perhaps an axe-murderer?

He snorted on his laughter, which seemed to be rather…foreign to him. It came out odd. "Knife? I wouldn't use something as time-consuming as a knife. No, I used a spell. Avada Kedavra." The words sounded eerily familiar. "Once your hit, you drop dead."

Huh. Interesting. Creepy as hell, but interesting. "It didn't hurt then, did it?" I asked, feeling slight worry for my deceased parents.

He shrugged. "Probably not. You drop dead in a mere second, so you wouldn't have much time to feel pain. Myself, however…" he trailed off, shooting me a dirty look.

I scowled up at him. "You're being a cryptic." I stated, irritated. "How'd I get this scar, then?"

He seemed pretty pissed at this question. "I tried firing the damned curse at you, but it backfired and hit me instead." he bit out. I didn't blame him. Having your ass handed to you by a baby…oh, the irony.

"Wait, you're not dead." I pointed out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was.

He shot me a glare. "Of course I'm not dead! I took steps to ensure I would not die if my body was destroyed. I was a mere spirit for a few years, until I recently got my body back. But, of course, it's not as healthy as before." He gestured to his sickly looking face.

"I can see that," I replied dryly. "So, how'd this spell thingy backfire? I thought it killed you once it hit you."

He seemed genuinely puzzled. "I am…unsure," he stated slowly. "Dumbledore believes it is your mother's sacrifice which created a blood protection-"

"Wow, wow, slow down." I interrupted, mind racing. "Mother's sacrifice? She died for me? Who's Dumbledore and what is a blood protection?"

He sighed, and gave me a narrowed explanation. "Your mother wouldn't move out of the way. She begged for your life, and told me to kill her instead. Foolish, but brave. And, ironically, it worked. Blood protection is what happens if someone sacrifices their life for someone else out of love. It places a protection on them against the person who killed the victim."

I blinked, and gave an unsure nod. "Right…and who's Dumbledore? Sounds like a bee or something…"

His left eye twitched, like he very much did not want to discuss this…thing. But, nonetheless, the pursued. "Albus Dumbledore is the leader of the Light side, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Oh, yes. I am the leader of the Dark, which I will explain to you in time. Hogwarts is a school you'll probably go to when you turn 11, to learn magic. Anyway, your parents fought for his side, and he placed you with your relatives to keep up the blood protection."

The bell rang, and the kids around me started going inside for class. I sighed, and stood up, mind overflowing with information. It was so much to take in.

"Well," I said, brushing the dirt off my too-big jeans. "Blood protection obviously doesn't work. You're right here, and you were at the house. You could kill me anytime. Dumbledore sounds like an idiot."

I turned to walk away, missing the gleeful grin on his face. Good thing too, 'cause it would not have been a pretty sight. I turned around once more.

"Oh yeah. Are you coming back?" I asked, trying to keep the hope out of my voice. Even though he had killed my parents, it was nice to have someone to talk to about this strange unknown world. Plus, I was kinda lonely.

He gave me an amused smirk, and a nod. "I'll return within a few days." he acknowledged, then shooed me with a wave of his hand. "Off to class. Can't have undereducated children, now can we?"

I scowled at him, then clutched my book closer to my thigh and walked back into the school.

It didn't once cross my mind how no one seemed to see him besides me.


	3. A Walk

More reviews :D I'm really glad people like it. I know the grammar isn't very advanced, but I'm a little too busy to put in that much effort :( If I finish the story, I swear I'll go back and top it up. I fixed some of the spelling that I could see, though, so whoopee XD. The reason I'm updating so fast is because I really hate it when people don't update the stories I read :P

Please read and review!

None of this belongs it me ;_;

* * *

I was walking to school, having been deemed 'unworthy' of riding in the car. They picked a bad day to be bastards, too. It was raining hard, the sky was a swirling mass of dark grey. Hell, there was even a little thunder, though nothing too drastic. So I took my time walking.

So there I was, soaking wet, and I walked by an ally. There was a crack, and Voldie walked out.

He was wearing the weird black dress, again, and he had a hood. Lucky. He seemed completely unfazed by the rain, although I suspected it was all an act so he could look 'superior'.

"Good morning." he greeted monotonously, falling into step beside me.

"Mornin'. I've got more questions, you know." I informed him, staring straight ahead.

"I could have guessed that." he noted, though I could hear slight amusement in his drawl.

"Uh huh. Anyway, here's the first one. Why the fuck are you wearing a dress?" I had heard of cross-dressers before, but they usually changed clothes. They didn't wear the same old frock over and over again!

I looked at him at the corner of my eye when he didn't answer. His lips were twitching, he looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. He cleared his throat, and turned his head towards me.

"It's not a dress. It's a robe. Wizards wear these formally." Huh. So he was wearing formal clothes every day...

"Why wear it ever day, then?" I quizzed him, frowning. "And why don't you change it?"

He heaved a deep sigh. "I do change it. Black just blends in better. And I wear it every day because I find Muggle clothes disgraceful to wear." he replied, looking a little impatient.

"Fine. What about those Wizard politics you were on about? Dark and Light? Is there a war or something on?" I fired off twenty questions at the man, all in one breath.

"Yes, there is a war on." I could hear the smirk in his voice. Either he was waiting for me to ask that, or he was just happy about leading a war. "The Dark side, which is my army, want a Pureblood society. We want to kill all Muggles, while the Light want to keep them alive."

Why did he insist on speaking about things I had no clue about? "…You lost me at Pureblood society. What's a pureblood?" Sounded like people were breeding Pedigree dogs or something.

He had an annoyed look on his face at having to explain this all. "There are three types of blood in wizards. Purebloods are wizards whose parents and grandparents are magical. Half bloods are wizards who have one pureblood parent and one non-pureblood parent. Muggle borns, or mud bloods, are wizards who have muggle parents and grandparents. There are also squibs, who have magical parents but no magic themselves."

It sounded like he'd given, or heard, the speech hundreds of times before. He had the same dull drone I used whenever I had to talk to Petunia. (Talk about an ear sore.)

It took me a while to catch up with the information, but I slowly nodded. "Right…and what am I?"

"Half blood. James Potter was from a long line of Purebloods, and Lily Potter was muggle-born." he explained.

Who were…

"Are James and Lily the names of my parents, then?" I piped up, suddenly more interested that I had been with all that Pureblood crap.

He blinked, and turned to stare at me incredulously. "You don't know their names?" he asked in disbelief.

I shook my head. "Nah. They didn't mention the names much, just how the died and how good for nothing they were." I took a brief pause to think. "What were they like?"

He wrinkled his nose, as if didn't intend for the conversation to go this way. Either that, or he smelled something bad. "James Potter had black hair and brown eyes. He looked a lot like yourself. Lily Potter had red hair and green eyes. Again, like yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "It's interesting to know what they look like, but I'd rather know what the acted like." I informed him haughtily.

He gave me a small sneer, before his face returned to it's usual smooth manner. "Foolish. Brave. Gryffindor."

"Wait, wait, wait! What's Gryffindor?"

And so began the very long conversation of the four houses of Hogwarts, the Dark and Light side and my parents. Needless to say, I was late for school.


	4. The Snake Comes Slithering

Anonymous reviews are now enabled. (Thanks so much to Kamorie, I had no idea!) Anyway, here's the newest chapter. Keep on reading and reviewing, please. :D I am so enjoying writing this. Sorry about the spelling mistakes, I keep using spell-check but it doesn't correct some typo's that end up as completely different words -_-;

Oh yeah, Harry gets in touch with his snake side here. :P

None of this belongs to me. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a fan fiction.

* * *

I didn't see Volds again for a while after that. Unfortunately, though, my teacher was curious to know why I have to walk to school during a thunderstorm, but Dudders got a lift. I got a black eye for that particular feat. Vernon was getting careless, of course, because now someone would see the injury.

I had to make up my own excuse.

"Oi! Freak! Get over here!" Vernon shouted, after I was done washing up. I glanced over. His face was red, as per usual. That man really needed to lower his blood pressure. Maybe a dog or something would do him good…

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the overweight man started talking. Well…yelling.

"You! Go out a do the gardening! And I want that garden spotless when I go out in a few hours! We have to provide food and shelter and…" I was out the door by then. Honestly, the whole 'caring for you' speech was getting old. Fast.

It was literally roasting outside. I sighed and wiped the sweat off my brow. My hair was actually sticking to my forehead with heat…

Then came the telltale crack. But I didn't have time to look up, before a rather large Boa Constrictor approached me. It was really pretty, bigger than any garden snake I'd ever met. It was dark green with all these different markings, and black eyes.

"Are you a speaker?" it hissed, and for a snake, it sounded female.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm a speaker. What's your name?" I hissed back, shifting my posture to sit with my legs folded. A break wouldn't hurt.

The snake looked surprised. "So you are a speaker! I thought Master was jesting…I am Nagini." she proclaimed proudly. Or, at least, she sounded proud. Snakes don't have much facial expressions.

I smiled a tiny bit at her. "That's a pretty name. I'm Harry. Who is your 'Master'?"

"That would be me." a familiar voice admitted from behind. The smile disappeared. Typical.

I turned to see Voldemort there, doing his whole 'I'm much too comfortable in this environment' lean against the fence.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You've got a snake?" I asked, as Nagini wrapped herself around me in her version of an embrace, her head resting on my shoulder.

He studied her action curiously, for God knows what reason, but nodded. "Yes. Nagini is my familiar. That's an animal wizards get that stays with them their entire life. The animal will stay alive as long as their bonded does." he added quickly, so he didn't have to face my probably-annoying-by-now 'confused face'.

I nodded, smugly. He was getting the hang of things now. "Cool. So, what're you here for?" I asked casually, though I knew he was just there for the sake of irritating me.

"Just here to irritate you." he replied calmly. Huh. Guess I was right. He was quiet for a moment, in which I stroked Nagini's head. "Might I ask what happened to your eye?" he asked suddenly, looking both suspicious and wary.

I glanced up through my bangs, then lifted my head fully to meet his eye. "I banged into a door." I lied smoothly, glad I could keep a straight face.

He raised an eyebrow, and I swear there was a…knowing look on his face. Difficult to explain, but I got the feeling he knew I was lying.

"Ah. I see." he nodded, giving me his customary smirk. Oh, he definitely knew I was lying. "And tell me, how did you manage a black eye by banging into a flat surface?"

I blinked, and cleared my throat. "I'm a klutz. I banged into the doorframe." I replied, cheering inwardly at my small victory.

He scowled for a split second, then his face cleared. "Fair enough." he muttered. "No questions today?"

Like I had any left after last days explanation. Honestly, my brain was ready to burst by then. But I knew so much about Wizarding politics and the community…but nothing why the dude I was talking to had tried to murder a baby.

"Why did you try to murder me in the first place?" I asked suddenly, after a lot of thought. "I mean, I know you're crazy and all, but not that crazy." I flashed him a mock of his own smirk.

He smirked back, but then his face turned serious. "There was a prophecy. It foresaw that a child would be born at the end of the seventh month, who would have to power to defeat me. The child was born to people who had defied me three times, and would be marked as my equal. There were two possible people. You, and another boy. I didn't hear the entire prophecy"

I gave him an odd look. "Why me? Not to sound self-pitying, or anything, but why didn't you choose the other kid?" I asked, picking a few more weeds out of the flower bed.

"You were more like me." he stated simply.

I snorted. "Gee, thanks. So I almost died thanks to some crazy fortune teller. I thought you were smarter than-"

"Wizarding prophecies always come true, in some form." he interrupted sharply, shooting me a terrifying glare. I'm proud to say I stood my ground, and glared back at him. Though mine was probably more cute than terrifying.

"Hmph. Alright. But you haven't heard it all…" I trailed off at the frustrated look on his face.

"No." he scowled. "I haven't heard it all. My spy was escorted out halfway through it." He sounded pretty irked about that.

Nagini nuzzled my cheek affectionately. I had no idea why, but I leaned in to the care anyway. Again, Voldemort seemed really perplexed about this. Curious, even.

Then I felt the ground shake. Earthquake! Oh, wait. It was just Dudley walking. Or, should I say, waddling.

Ok, I'm exaggerating there. But I heard his obnoxious voice, and could only guess he was coming over.

"I'm telling Dad your talking to a visitor!" he yelled, making his way towards me.

Voldemort regarded him disdainfully, then turned back to me. Nagini slithered off me, and over to her Master.

"I'm afraid I must leave. Your…cousin is getting too close for comfort. Goodbye, and yes, _I will be back_." It sounded like a quote from the Terminator, except he couldn't do the cool voice.

While I was thinking this, he and Nagini disappeared with a crack.

I got one hell of a whipping that night for 'scaring away a visitor with my freakishness'. With a belt, of course. Not a real whip. They're not medieval crazy, or anything.

* * *

I decided to make Volds start seeing their similarities in this chapter. Yes, he is kinda starting to guess Harry is being abused. He knows he's lying anyway, though not in the way you'd think. Just from experience. Nagini likes Harry so much 'cause he's a Horcrux and she's a Horcrux, so naturally they share the same soul piece and therefore get along.


	5. Sitting Down

Thanks for the reviews, guys :D

This will not be a slash. Sorry if any people wanted it slash, but I hardly ever read slash. So there's no hope in hell I'd be able to write it. :P This is kinda a mentor/friendship fic.

Voldie has his suspicions about Harry being a Horcrux, since he can speak to snakes, and since Nagini is so fond of him. He isn't sure yet, he's doing research in the depths of his study. :P

Voldemort will take Harry with him eventually, I promise that, but the idea I have in mind isn't just a simple, "Would you like to live with me?". It's more…complex.

Yes, Voldemort's followers know he's back. The Wizarding World doesn't know yet, but Dumbledore has his suspicions.

None of this belongs to me, by the way. Again.

* * *

I was in quite a good mood today, actually. My chores were all done, and since Mrs Figgs was gone and there was no way I could be left home alone…

We went to the park!

Yep, the whole family. Plus me. I was given specific instructions to, 'not try anything freaky. Just play like a normal child, if you can even be called that.' Yeah. Who cared what they said, though? I'd only been to the park once before, and I was going to make the most of this visit.

Currently, I was sitting on the swing. Well, swinging on the swing. I never knew I could go so high! Petunia was pushing Dudders swing a few feet away, but I could do it by myself. All you had to do was pump your legs.

I reached the highest I'd ever gone, and jumped. A strange…tingling feeling took over me. It was then that I realized I was staying in the air much too long. I landed softly, several feet away. That shouldn't even be possible. Guess I did mag-

I was grabbed roughing by the arm, and spun around into the furious face of Petunia.

"You little freak! How dare you do that…that witchcraft! And in public too! You are just like that good-for-nothing mother of…" she droned on and on. Honestly, didn't she understand I wasn't listening?

I let me eyes drift away, while she shook me viciously by the arm. Huh. She was pretty strong for someone so-

I felt a sharp pain across my face, and suddenly I was looking the opposite direction. She'd just slapped me. She never slapped me! It was always Vernon, or even Dudley, but Petunia usually just gave me dirty looks…

"Listen to me when I'm speaking to you!" she hissed, now aware that many people were listening. And watching. Not that they did anything.

I raised my eyes to hers, trying to resist the urge to rub my stinging cheek. I let the cold mask fall off, and gave her the most heated glare I could muster. To my shock, she actually reared back a little, before getting over herself.

"Don't you give me that look!" she shrieked, seemingly oblivious to the many staring faces.

I gritted my teeth, glaring at her harder. "Or what? You'll slap me again? Because I honestly don't give a fuck!" I spat, anger getting the better of me. "Now why don't you go back to your precious son? He looks like he needs a push."

She blinked, and stared at me in shock before her grip on my arm slowly released and she stepped back. She kept her eyes on me as she backed away, then turned to go push Dudley. Who looked equally shocked.

I found Vernon's face over by the bench. I almost flinched at how furious he looked. Shit. I was so going to pay for that…

I sighed, and walked over to the woods at the side of the park. I would go in there, and wait until they called me out to go home. Once I was out of sight of the park-goers, I broke into a run. I kept running until I came to a clearing, and sat on a large rock at the edge. It was pretty smooth. I angrily rubbed my sore cheek while I pulled my knees up to my chest. I seriously felt like crying now. Now that I thought of it, my eyes felt a little wet…

There was a crack beside me, and I hurriedly blinked so the tears couldn't be seen.

"Good afternoon…where are we?" the oblivious voice asked. I looked straight ahead, hoping the tears would disappear in time before they ran down my cheeks. That would be embarrassing.

I cleared my throat a little. "A forest beside the park." I replied, wincing as my voice came out just that little too quiet. It wasn't that noticeable, but still…

I didn't know if he'd noticed or not. I hoped for the latter. "Ah. Well, how are you today?"

"Fine…say, why do your always stand?" I asked, curiosity spiking.

There was a pause. Then, "What?"

I allowed a smirk to creep onto my face, despite myself. "You never sit. You always stand. Don't your legs get sore?" I quizzed him, turning my head slightly to the side so I could see him out of the corner of my eye.

He was smirking too. "Why, Harry, I didn't know you cared." he taunted me.

I let out a huff. "I don't. But it's annoying as hell to have you looming over me all the time." I complained, scowling up at him. My eyes were still a little wet, but this was definitely lightening the mood.

He raised a dark eyebrow. "I'm Dark Lord. Looming is what I do." he informed me, saying it so casually I almost laughed.

I raised an eyebrow back. "Well, pretend you're not Dark Lord. Pretend you're just…uh…what's your real name?" Come to think of it, I didn't even know his real name. There was no way it was Voldemort…that was just too weird.

He glared at me. Whoops. Wrong subject, clearly. "What makes you think it is not Lord Voldemort?"

I snorted on my laughter. "No mother would call their child 'Lord Voldemort'. The poor kid would get picked on by everyone!"

He looked as if he were debating whether to tell me or not. In the end, he did.

"My name was Tom Marvolo Riddle." He spat out the name in disgust. "Lord Voldemort is an anagram."

I frowned, and tried rearranging the words in my head. They fitted…if you put 'I am' in front of it.

"But why'd you change it then, Tom?" I piped up, watching with growing interest as his seemed to get angrier and angrier.

"Don't-…Just…" he gritted out, then blew out a sharp breath and closed his eyes briefly. He opened them again, and gave me a half-hearted glare. "_Don't_ call me Tom. It's Lord Voldemort."

I smacked my lips absently, then shook my head. "You know, if someone is called 'Lord' all the time, they get too big-headed. And if that happens to you, you'll lose that little war you're fighting." I informed him, fiddling with the sleeve of my shirt.

There was silence for a few moments. I wasn't sure if he was even there any more. I glanced up, and he was frowning deeply and staring into space.

Then he gave me a bemused grin (not a pleasant sight, trust me), and sat down on the grass next to me. He pulled his legs up near his chest like I was doing, only his wasn't as tense.

"Very well." he said agreeably. "Since I know you're so interesting in my welfare, I'll humour you. I doubt you'd call me 'Lord' anyway."

I beamed at him, a hugely triumphant grin. "Damn right I wouldn't! So, do I have your permission to call you Tom, Tom?" I asked sarcastically.

He scowled at the name. "No." He paused. "But I know you'll do it anyway."

I smirked, and nodded. I wouldn't call him Tom all the time. That'd just drive him crazy. Maybe Volders or something...

Then I heard a banshee - I mean Petunia - shout for me. I sighed, and slid off my rock. Volde-…Tom got up too. We said our goodbye's, and I started my slow walk to the edge of the forest.

I saw a sadistic glint in Vernon's eye. I was so in for it now.

* * *

Woohoo! Another chapter finished. I decided to add in a little sadness, because Harry's clearly not gonna be calm all the time. He's bound to lose his temper eventually. (He is Gryffindor, right?)

Voldemort wants Harry on his side. That's why he didn't just kill him for calling him Tom. Although, he's not using him completely. He does find their conversations amusing, compared to everyone else cringing at the sight of him :P


	6. Coming Out Of The Cupboard

The Dark Lady Voldemort666 - Have no fear :D I despise Harry/Ginny pairings. I don't really have any feelings for Harry/Hermione, so I very much doubt I'd pair him with that. To be honest, I will probably make him a proper little 'Dark Dude'. Not paired with anyone, since I'm not really into writing romance (well).

Endlessvamp - Soon, I promise =) I hate them, too, but don't worry. They'll get what they deserve. *Evil grin*

P.S., in case anyone got confused (I did when I read over it), in the last chapter, Harry did the same thing Lily did when she was a kid. You know, jumping off the swing and flying a little? Yeah. He's awesome like that. And that's why Petunia got so pissed.

I'm glad people like Harry's sarcasm :D Because that's part of what makes it so freakin' fun to write!

None of this is mine. *tear*

Please read and review! =3

* * *

I don't even want to begin to describe the beating I got by that bastard. Kicked, punched, whipped…hell, he even _spat_ at me. So here I was now, laying in a broken heap in my cupboard.

I don't know how long I've been in here. I've passed out a few times, but I think my injuries are healing themselves again. I can keep conscious, and sit up without a lot of pain. Though it does still hurt like hell. I'm real thirsty…and I can hear Vernon's watching TV. I wonder…

I ran my thumb over where the lock will be on the other side, and it opened with a small 'click'. I pushed the door open slowly, and climbed out.

Standing made me dizzy, I realized. I swerved a little, then grabbed the frame of the door for support. I raised my hand to my head to try and hold it still, though it wasn't moving. Just my vision. I was vaguely surprised to feel dried blood. Ouch.

I crept into the kitchen, closed then door silently behind me. I rushed to the sink, turned on the tap and stuck my head in. Forget about a glass, I just drank directly from the faucet. I kept drinking, until I heard a feminine cough from behind me.

My eyes widened, and I spun around. Petunia was standing there, scowling at me with the ugliest expression I had ever seen upon her face. And that's saying something.

"You…you little brat! You were suppose to _die _in that cupboard!" she hissed, advancing on me. "Die, and we would have no more bother from your people! They come to our house, bother us with this freakish burden, and expect everything to be fine? Why can't you just leave? We would be happier without _you_ here!"

I stared up at her, seeing the genuine hatred in her eyes.

"I'd be happier away from here too. But it seems like neither of us are going to get our wish." I murmured, narrowing my eyes at her. My glasses were long gone, broken and tossed aside during my punishment. But I could see just fine.

"You get back in that cupboard, or I will bring Vernon in here. And you will know the true meaning of pain." she threatened, stopping about a foot in front of me.

I gave a humourless snort. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know that if I get back in there, I won't get out again. You'll starve me, and only take me out when I'm no more than a shell."

She lost it right there. _"Do you hear yourself?" _she shrieked, her face directly in front of mine now. "Speaking like you're older than you are! It's not normal! You unnatural, good-for-nothing-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. She suddenly stopped, eyes bulging and mouth gaping open and closed. She closely resembled a cross between a horse and a fish. I watched in growing fascination as her face went from red to blue, from lack of oxygen.

I was doing this. My magic, it was killing her. But instead of feeling panic or guilt…I felt relief. Sick, I know.

She crumbled to the floor, dead. I realized I had a savage grin on my battered face, but I didn't care. I walked slowly around her corpse, and knelt down beside her with my back to the door.

"How's that for freakishness?" I whispered, then started giggling madly. I stopped when I felt a sharp, burning pain in my left shoulder. Then in my back. Several times over. I heard roaring and shouting, and even some sobbing.

The sharp pains were everywhere. I collapsed sideways, on top of Petunia's body. The sharp pains came in my stomach now, and my chest. I think my face got sliced a little, but thank God there was none on my neck.

I was seeing stars, and redness. So much red. Everything started to black out, and the last think I saw was a blood-soaked Vernon dropping his butcher knife and collapsing in sobs beside his dead wife's body. Then, everything disappeared.

* * *

Aw. Poor Harry :( What will happen to him? :O

I'm sorry, but this had to be done. It's part of my (slightly twisted) plot.

I think I might do the next chapter on Voldemort's POV. Not sure yet, because he's so unemotional that it'll be super hard. But I'll give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, then I won't do his POV.

By the way, his magic healed his eyesight while it was healing his injuries. No more glasses. As cute as they were, I think he'd look better without them. :P


	7. Crimson

*Cringes* I'm sorry about the last chapter, guys! Really. I didn't want to have to do that to Harry but…it was necessary. Well, not really, but the story would have been unrealistic otherwise. Not that a Wizarding story is realistic, but you get my drift.

Corpium - I think I know what you mean. I often get kinda confused with using comma's after speech, so I apologize if it's making reading the chapters a little annoying. :P Our English teacher rarely teaches anything, so I'm kinda figuring out some new stuff as I go along. Thanks for pointing it out, though. I'll try and fix it :D

TheSecretUchiha - You'll have to read this chapter :P

Please read and review =)

None of this is mine.

* * *

(Voldemort's POV, because I wanna give it a shot :D)

I felt something strange from Potter's side of the connection. A sort of madness I thought only my Death Eaters possessed. I frowned when it escalated into unbelievable pain. I was glad I couldn't feel it physically. But mentally…

I hadn't heard from Harry these past few days. Any time I tapped into his connection to see where he was, all I could see was black. Was he ill? Sleeping? I have no idea.

The connection went numb. I set down my quill, and traced the patterns of the wood on my desk with the tip of my finger. He was either unconscious, of in shock. The boy would be of no use to me if he was attacked.

I sighed, and stood up. The wards shouldn't be too hard to break down. The Muggles would be no challenge to kill. By the time the Aurors arrived, we would be long gone anyway.

It was about time I took him out of there. After a lot of consideration, I decided that, no matter how absurd the idea was, the Boy-Who-Lived was being abused. By Muggles, of all people. The boy would be perfect for the Dark side. A hatred for Muggles, experience of pain, and he certainly had the attitude to hold down an argument.

Not to mention his magical aura! I dare say it could become as powerful as my own, when it matured. Right now, it was more powerful than some of my Death Eaters. And he was only six.

I grabbed my travelling cloak, and threw it on. Fastening the clasp, I checked my wand was in my pocket and apparated.

When I arrived, I was greeted with the metallic smell of blood. I was in a kitchen, I think. It was hard to tell with so much crimson. If I didn't know any better, I would think the house had been subject to a raid. But, of course, there was no way that could happen.

I glanced around the blood-soaked floor. A rather large man was sobbing over a corpse. Pushed hastily to the side was…no way.

I fired a quick Avada Kedavra at the man, and he dropped dead. I saw that it was a woman he was mourning. Probably his wife or sister, by the age of her. How she died, though, I could only guess. I walked over to Harry, and crouched beside him.

He was covered in blood, with so many stab wounds I couldn't even begin to count. I checked his pulse. Very faint. He was still alive, but just barely. He was lucky he didn't get stabbed in any of his main veins, but one of the slashes was much too close to his heart for my likings.

I picked the boy up, supporting his head with my hand. He was unbelievably light. Malnourished, I guessed. I was just about to apparate, when I heard a choked sob.

A fat little boy, standing at the doorway. His eyes were wide, and he vomited at the sight of all the blood. And, presumably, his dead parents. I sneered at the weak thing, briefly considering killing him. No. It wouldn't be worth it. Potter needed medical attention now, or he'd definitely die.

With a crack, I apparated back to Riddle Manor.

* * *

You didn't think I'd kill him off, did you? :O

Short chapter, I know. The next chapter will be from everyone's favourite potions master's point of view.

Yeah, yeah, you all probably want Harry back. But he's still…almost dead.

This wasn't difficult to write, actually. But I know I didn't get Voldie's personality right. Still. My fan fiction, my rules :P


	8. Enter Snape

See? I got him rescued :P This story won't be very funny until Harry actually wakes up, so please bear with me.

Kamorie - Don't worry. I tried Snape's POV, but it wasn't…Fanfic worthy :P So I'm back to Tom's POV again, since Harry's still unconscious. I wasn't intending on lots of different POV's, just the occasional change. :D

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

I called Severus as soon as I arrived at Dark Headquarters. I set Harry down across my throne-like chair, since it was the only one in the meeting room, and waited.

Severus didn't take long, as usual. He was always quick to come. Quite a feat, considering he was usually at Hogwarts.

He bowed low, and murmured a respectful, "My Lord." I motioned for him to get up, and moved aside so he could see the child.

He cautiously approached him, and knelt beside the throne. Taking off his mask, he set it at his feet and checked the boys pulse. He turned to me, the typical calm look in place.

"I assume you want me to heal him, My Lord?" he guessed. That's what I liked about Severus. He caught on quickly.

I gave a short nod, and he scooped the boy up in his arms. He must have expected him to weigh more, seeing as he lifted him a little too high and had to lower him a bit.

I led Severus out of the room, and down to one of the guest rooms. The blood would ruin the bedcovers, but I'd let the house elves deal with that.

Severus set the child down on the massive bed, and set to work. I hovered in the background. I knew it was making him uncomfortable, but I didn't care. This _was_ my property, after all. In a way.

He cleaned off all the blood first, presumably to see where the wounds were. He was cleaning Harry's forehead, though, and gave a small gasp. Guess he'd seen the scar, then.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He was quick, he was smart, but this was obviously something he was unsure about.

"Keep going, Severus." I drawled lazily. He probably thought I'd taken the boy prisoner, or something.

Severus did as he was told, and began closing the bigger slashes first. He was halfway done, when he paused and frowned at the small body.

"Problem, Severus?" I queried him, coming to stand directly behind him.

He made a 'hmm' of unsure interest. "It seems his magic is helping me along, My Lord." he said carefully.

"…What do you mean?"

"His magic is healing the smaller cuts, and stopping some of the bleeding." You could hear the awe in his voice. "Remarkable…"

I paused for a moment, considering the amount of power the boy could have. "Quite." I settled on, quietly studying the unconscious form.

Severus continued to slowly heal the rest of the larger wounds, as Harry's magic worked on the smaller ones. Once he was done, he cast a quick Diagnosis Spell.

The boy was a mess.

Fractured skull, massive blood loss, broken wrist, punctured lung, torn tendons, malnourishment…

Not to mention the bruises. Without all the blood covering him, I could see a multitude of bruises scattered across his weak form. They weren't yellow yet, nor were they a fresh purple. But they were definitely recent enough to hurt.

"Will the boy live, Severus?" I asked casually. I knew it sounded like I actually cared, but it was something I needed to know. He wouldn't be much fun if he was dead.

Severus gave a hesitant nod. "I think so, My Lord. With his magic healing him, he should make a full physical recovery. Mentally, however…"

I knew what he was getting at. "He'll be fine, Severus. The child is mature for his age." I commented offhandedly, turning to go sit in the emerald armchair nearby. I knew the boy wouldn't become a frightened mess. He was too strong, too _Gryffindor _for that.

Severus nodded, and stared at the boy. "Forgive me, My Lord, but is this…Harry Potter?" I could hear the bewilderment in his voice, no matter how well he masked it.

I mentally smirked, and gave the man a calm nod. "It is, Severus. It would seem Dumbledore has made the mistake of leaving him with Muggles."

There was a stunned silence, and I could literally see the cogs working in Severus' head. Then:

"_Muggles_ did this to him?" He made no effort to put on a calm front this time, his outburst came out completely bewildered.

I hummed a confirmation. "I believe you knew Lily Potter's sister?" I asked knowingly, smirking openly at the man now.

His eyes darkened, and his lips curled up in a sneer. "Yes. Horrible child, and I can only imagine she became a horrible adult. Still, I would have expected she would have stood up for her own nephew…" he trailed off uncertainly at the end, eyes flickering back to the recovering body.

I snorted. "Muggles are weak, Severus. You of all people should know." His father had been very weak against magic, no matter how good he was with a belt or cane. "She was dead when I got there, though. I have my suspicions to how she died…"

I glanced over at Harry, who was oblivious to our conversation in his unconscious state. But at least I knew one thing. The boy would live, once again. And he would be the greatest ally the Dark could possibly have.

Several miles away, somewhere in Scotland, Albus Dumbledore received the news that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, was missing.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that :P Severus is grey, right now. He isn't loyal to Dumbledore, or Voldemort. He hasn't decided yet. Voldemort knows this, obviously.

Severus is not going to tell Dumbles where Harry is, since Dumbledore sent him to the Dursley's in the first place.

I made Voldemort a bit more…talkative with his Inner-Circle, because if he was all emotionless and cold all the time, it'd be a boring story. He's got to communicate with them besides just asking for reports. They are his most trusted and skilled, right?


	9. Waking Up

Here it is, Chapter 9. I've got a few ideas for chapters after this, but some of them I'll just have to make up as I go.

Ledocteur - I know what you're getting at, and it's been bugging me a bit too. I don't want to put in too much detail, because I personally find that a little boring to read in other stories, and sometimes skip over too-detailed paragraphs. That's just me, though. I find that, since it's from Harry's POV, he won't notice a lot since he's only six. (Albeit, a little too intelligent for his age, but hey. I can just put that down to having a part of a smart guys soul in him :D) But not enough detail is a problem, too. I will try to increase the chapter length as best I can, without making them boring to read :P Thanks for the review!

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

_Burning. Sharp. Pointy. Hurts. Killed Petunia…who's hurting me?_

I was floating in some kinda darkness. I felt nothing. Just plain, numb nothing. I liked this. I heard voices above me. One was familiar, the other was completely new. The voices wretched me out of my dream like state.

I sat up sharply, only to groan and grasp my throbbing head as pain burst through it. Warm hands were pushing me back onto the bed, but I shook them off and opened my eyes.

The room was spinning a little, but I could make out a few things. Green walls. Green, silver and black decorative pattern…crimson covers? No. Not crimson covers. Silver covers, covered in what I believed to be blood.

There was no way I was cleaning that up.

"Good to see you've finally decided to wake up." a familiar, lazy drawl commented from nearby.

I jumped, forgetting my thoughts, and snapped my head to the right. Much to it's discomfort. The now-dulling pain came again.

Tom was standing there, all high and superior. Well, at least, he thought he was.

I gave him an odd look. "I never knew I fell asleep." I replied dryly.

The man standing next to him, who I assume pushed me down, raised an eyebrow. He had greasy black hair, black eyes, sallow skin…he reminded me vaguely of Count Dracula.

"How much do you remember?" the Dracula-look-alike asked slowly.

I wrinkled my nose. "Right up until Vernon dropped the knife." I realized a moment too late I'd blown the secret. They knew what he'd done, what he'd been doing.

Crap.

Tom must've seen my wide eyes. He smirked. "I am not a fool, child. I had a feeling something was going on." I scowled at him. "The Muggle is dead, since he got in the way." he commented casually, though I could feel a strange sense of…anger that wasn't my own.

I was silent for a moment, just staring up at him, until he asked another nosy question.

"May I ask how the woman died?" he quizzed me, as the black-haired man began gathering up the various glass bottles and flasks lying around the floor.

I gave him an innocent look. "I have no idea, Tom. You'll have to ask her." I said sweetly. Too sweetly.

He raised an eyebrow. "That would prove rather difficult, seeing as she is dead." he shot back, not letting the damn thing go without a fight.

I let out a huff. "_You're_ the amazing Dark Lord. Figure something out." I muttered, a mocking edge to my voice.

He sneered at me, and turned to the black-haired man, who was ready to leave. "This is Severus Snape. He healed you after your little incident."

I nodded to the man politely. "Pleasure to meet you. Cheers for the healing." I gave him a crooked half-grin.

The strangest thing happened then. The man looked into my eyes, gave a pained flinch, and hurriedly left the room. No reply or anything.

I stared after him as the door slammed shut.

"Is he always like that?" I asked Tom, perplexed, as I swung my legs around the side of the bed.

Tom hummed. "No, not always." he said simply. Typically, he left the mystery unsolved. To me, anyway. "And now poses the question of your living arrangement."

I squinted slightly at him, cocking my head to the side then straightening it again. "Huh?" I asked dumbly, frowning.

He gave an impatient sigh. "Your Muggle guardians are dead. You have no where to live. Now, you have three option. An orphanage, the streets, or here." He paused briefly. "Oh, or you can go ask Dumbledore if he'll find you another home."

Fat chance of that happening.

I pondered over the possibilities. Orphanage was definitely a no. I had been threatened with it enough to know it was not a pleasant place. The streets…well, I could survive, but just barely. There was no way I was going to Dumbledore, so that only left one option…

"If I stay here, what's the catch?" I asked bluntly, kicking my legs against the bottom of the bed.

He gave a victory smirk. "Who says there's a catch?" he asked innocently. An innocent Dark Lord was never a good thing.

I scowled at him. "There's always a catch." I informed him sharply.

His smirk disappeared, face calm and serious once more. "Very well. You may stay here, as long as you don't join the Light side or ruin the Dark."

I blinked. "…That's it? I don't have to fight for you or anything?" I asked in bewilderment.

He snorted on a laugh. "My army is not scarce enough for me to recruit children." he informed me haughtily. "Just follow those rules and you can stay. Now, you can either stay in bed or get up." He shot me a look. "I personally wouldn't sleep on blood-soaked sheets, but I can't speak for you."

I gave him a half-hearted glare, and stood up. I wobbled a little, but grabbed onto the bedside cabnet to straighten myself. "I'll get up. So, is this like my room or…" I left the last part unsaid.

He nodded. "This can be your room, if you like." He glanced at the bed sheets briefly, then said in a commanding tone, "Tinky!"

With a gun-shot crack, the weirdest creature I had ever seen appeared in the - no, my room. Wide, tennis-ball shaped eyes. Floppy ears. Wrinkly skin. A clean pillow-case for clothes.

I yelled out, and jumped back, startled. Tom rolled his eyes (Which looked very strange seeing as his pupils were snake-slits), and smirked at me in amusement. He then turned to the…thing.

"Clean the bed sheets, Tinky, and stock some clothes in the wardrobe." he ordered the creature. To my horror, it actually _talked._

"Yes, Master!" it squeaked out in a high-pitched, shrill voice that made me cringe. I had to resist the urge to cover my ears. It disappeared with a crack, and there was a dead silence for all of a second.

"…What the _fuck_ was that?" I shouted, voice a few octaves too high for my likings.

He smirked, again unruffled by my language. Good thing, too, 'cause I wasn't going to stop. "A house-elf. They cook, clean and do basically any chore wizards don't want to do." He paused, looking like he was trying too hard not to laugh. "You should have seen your face."

I glared at him fiercely, folding my arms and scrunching my nose up in what I hoped to be a dangerous expression. No such luck. I only succeeded, yet again, in making myself look like a child throwing a tantrum. Which, really, was what I was doing.

Tom snorted and turned to open the door. He glanced behind him once more, and I could see he was openly grinning now. Unpleasant, let me tell you that.

"Get dressed and come down to the meeting room." He held up a hand to stop my incoming question. "Call for Tinky, she'll tell you where to go."

And, with that, he left and the door swung shut. I had a new home. With the Dark Lord.

Could it get any more messed up?

* * *

Heh. Well, there you have it. Harry's moved in with the Dark Lord. Normal? Not a chance. But then again, this is Harry Potter we're talking about :P

I'll be introducing your favorite Dark characters pretty soon. The haughty, the insane, the funny, the dumb...well, maybe not so much the dumb.

Sarcasm will ensue, don't worry. :D


	10. Dinner Is Served

Glad you all seem to like the story. =D Please read and review.

Kamorie - Harry will most likely be going to Hogwarts. As for Ron and Hermione, I'm not completely sure on both. This story will be Anti-Ron. Sorry, but it's just the way the character hates all things Dark and whatnot. Plus, I don't like him. Hermione…I have no idea. She is Muggle-Born, but she's intelligent and I quite like her character. So I'm not sure. Feel free to advise in reviews, though, everyone. =)

Harry Potter and all related characters don't belong to me.

* * *

** (A few days later)**

Tom's house, (Or his 'bastard father's house', as he admitted) was huge. I mean, it had so many rooms I hadn't even explored them all yet! The portraits talked, which ah…shocked me when I first heard them, to say the least. Tom had these crazy dungeons where I could hear people screaming and some others laughing sometimes. I didn't want to explore there yet.

Those house-elves had their own little kitchens, where they basically lived seeing as they slept beside the stoves. They weren't as strange as I thought, though a few were a bit over-eager for my likings. Tinky was the best, in my opinion.

There was a creepy old graveyard outside, beside a dark forest and an old shed. I had yet to visit either of them. There was also a Muggle town down at the bottom of the hill, but I had no need to go there yet.

Overall, I was _so_ loving this new house.

I got fed, I was allowed to shower, I had my own room and I even had my own clothes. Well, robes, really. Even though I felt like a girl wearing them, which I told Tom when I first wore them, they were very comfortable. Black ones, with dragon-hide boots. Talk about fancy.

Anyway, back to my story. I was currently sitting at the huge dining room table. For some special feast, Tom had explained, to introduce me to his Death Eaters so they didn't kill me on sight. Yeah, right. He just wanted to brag.

Dress robes have got to be the lightest things I have ever wore. It feels like you're wearing nothing at all, which is incredibly uncomfortable in a room full of people. The robes were silk black, as usual, but they had a silver lining in various places. How Tom could afford these, I'd never know.

I was utterly surrounded by adults in expensive clothing. Some in robes, some in shirts. They kept giving me funny/angry looks, probably because I was sitting to the right of Tom at the very top of the table. Whoops.

Tom cleared his throat importantly, and the polite chatter immediately stopped. All eyes were on him as he stood and addressed his slaves. I mean, followers.

"My loyal Death Eaters. I have called you here today for this feast to announce a few important things." he announced in a commanding but cold voice. "First of all, the last raid was an extreme success. Seven prisoners, all of whom have…"

I stopped listening after that, and just zoned out. I stared at the patterns of the wood on the table. I tried, and failed, to count the numerous forks, knives and spoons littered around the outside of my plate. I stared at wall, counted the cracks in the ceiling and even started trying to find sometime to rhyme with 'orange'. The reports were wrong. Door-hinge rhymed with orange. Kinda.

I then realized that Tom had stopped talking, and everything was silent. I raised my head to look around, and every person in the room was staring at me. Either in interest, humour or just plain glaring. Oops. He must have just told them about my living here. I mentally shrugged, and gave them a mock-salute.

Most looked away and began talking to the dude next to them again. I smacked my lips, and turned myself straight in my seat again.

"Mr. Potter. My, what a shock it is to see you here of all places." a silky voice drawled from across from me. I glanced over at the man.

He was pale, as were most people in this room, with long blonde hair and interest burning in his silver eyes. The drawl was much too similar to Tom's.

"Hey, Tom, is this guy your son or something?" I asked innocently, ignoring the man and turning to the Dark Lord.

Tom glared at me, as the blonde man choked on air, of all things. "_No_, he is not my son." Tom snapped moodily. "He's my follower. What makes you think any differently?"

I curled my lip at him. "He talks a lot like you." I explained simply, kicking my legs under the table.

The woman sitting next to the man turned and peered at me curiously. She looked a little like him. Same pale skin. Same blonde hair, except hers was expertly curled. Her eyes were a steely blue instead of grey. She looked away from the choking man, and at me.

"You are a true Gryffindor, aren't you?" she asked, and to my surprise, her voice wasn't a drawl. It was a change, at least. Hers was more feminine, and sounded polite and pristine.

I rolled my eyes at her. "So I've been told." I replied, voice dry as the Sahara.

The man had caught his breath again, and was staring at me, half in respect and half in scorn. "Sometimes bravery can get you killed." he noted sharply, shooting me a pointed look.

I smirked. "True that, Blondie. Seems I'm un-killable, though. No matter how many times people try, I always happen to live." I paused dramatically, then grinned widely. "Must be annoying for those on the attempting side."

There was silence for a few rows down, from the people who were actually listening. The rest just carried on talking.

Blondie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "My, you are brave. Or perhaps foolish. Tell me, Mr. Potter, how did a child such as yourself end up in the Dark Headquarters?" What an intruding man.

But I answered him anyway. Can't be too rude to people, can I? "Call me Harry. To use an overused phrase, Mr. Potter was my father." I drawled sarcastically. "And I ended up here because I had nothing better to do. Yourself?"

He stared. And stared. And stared a little more. "…You are here because you had nothing better to do?" Blondie asked incredulously, not even answering my own question. How rude.

I scowled at him. "Did I stutter?" I muttered scornfully. "Now, you didn't answer my question. Why are _you_ here?"

He blinked, then straightened his posture and face again. "I am from a long line of Purebloods. It is my duty to ensure blood purity continues, so I am fighting for what I believe in." he explained, sounding as if he says the same speech on a daily basis. I bet he practices in front of a mirror. "I am Lucius Malfoy, but you may call me Mr. Malfoy or Lucius. _Not 'Blondie'_."

I shot him a crooked grin. "I think Lucifer suits you better, actually." I commented cheerfully. I turned to the woman next to him. "Are you Lucy's sister or wife?"

She seemed incredibly amused for someone so eloquent looking. She had a small smile on her face, which she seemed to be trying to minimize, and her eyebrows were raised just a tad. "I am Lucius' wife. My name is Narcissa Malfoy." she replied daintily, giving me a polite nod of respect.

I frowned at her. "Narcissa? You know, narcissism means you love yourself too much. Do you?" I asked curiously, tapping my fingers on the side of the chair.

She gave a petite shrug. "I am not sure, though I'm sure most people would say I do." she shot back, shooting the dark-haired woman next to her a look. Must be an inside joke.

The woman next to her had a mass of dark curls on her head. They were unkempt, and a messy frizz was building up. She was very thin, and very gaunt. Her lips were thin and her dark eyes held a crazed glint I had never seen before. She was glaring at me in utter loathing.

"A Potter insulting a pureblood, my, what a change." she sneered in a nasty way, reminding me very much of someone I wished to forget. "What would your dear parents be saying now, Potter? On the enemies side?"

I shrugged childishly. "The dead tend not to talk, and it's rather unhealthy to dwell on what they could say when they can't talk." I pointed out, giving her a mocking glance. "Of course, you'd know all about mental illnesses."

The woman ground her teeth, and reached for her pocket for God-knows-what. Narcissa put a neatly-manicured hand on her thin arm, and gave her a sympathetic but warning look. The crazed woman attempted to calm herself down, all the while glaring at me. Honestly, you'd think she had no other facial expressions.

"You'll pay for that little barb, Potter. It's your fault I got put in Azkaban in the first place!" Darkie hissed, voice so low and furious that Narcissa removed her hand cautiously.

I guess I should have stopped there, apologized or something. But I was just having too much fun. "It's not like I made you murder people. Your own fault for getting caught at it, too."

Yeah. That got her. She whipped a wand out of her pocket, which I assume she was reaching for the first time, and shrieked some crazy Gaelic or Latin word. Crucial, or something. I say 'or something,' because she didn't get it finished. Her wand popped out of her hand mysteriously, and fell onto the ground with a clatter.

I sneaked a glance at Tom, and he looked completely furious. I wondered vaguely if his face would change colour like Vernon's when he was mad, as the people around us went silent and watched.

"Bellatrix, you will go down to the dungeons to await punishment." he said icily, voice much colder than it usually was with his followers. He must be pissed. "I believe I gave an order for no one to harm the child. You disobeyed."

The woman - Bellatrix - looked like she was going to cry, but gave a meek nod and stood. Quietly, she left the room with her head bowed in shame. Cool.

The silence stretched on, until food magically, and yes, that is a pun, appeared in from of us. I jumped a little, and hoped it wasn't noticeable. House elves popping up at completely inconvenient times was one thing, but now the food could materialize out of thin air too? How…creepy.

But delicious. I couldn't even begin to count the different types of food on my place. Veggies, turkey, potatoes, gravy…the list went on.

I looked down at the long line of forks and knives that seemed to stretch on. Which one was I supposed to use? I glanced at the plate next to me, and the man was carefully picking out his fork and knife.

He must have felt me looking, as he glanced around at me. Spiky, straw-coloured hair and bright blue eyes. He wasn't as pale as everyone else, and his face just looked bored rather than cold.

He gave me a lop-sided grin, and gestured to the silverware.

"Nightmare, aren't they? Pureblood tradition, though, no matter how useless." he scoffed, then gestures to the middle fork in my row. "Just use the this one for your main course."

I nodded my thanks, and picked up the designed fork. "Why do we need so many when you only use like two of them?" I grumbled, jabbing the fork into a slice of turkey and cutting it into small pieces.

The man snorted on his laughter. "They like to make things complicated for us half-bloods. A joke between them, I think."

I sniggered. The dude was funny. "Damn right. Say, if you're half-blood, why are you fighting for a pureblood society?"

The man gave a small, immature huff. "Why are you?" he shot back, half in good humour and half in genuine interest.

I smirked at him. "I don't like Muggles." I replied simply.

He mimicked my smirk. "Neither do I." He then extended his hand. "Barty Crouch JR, at your service."

I just looked at his hand dumbly for a moment, then hesitantly shook it, dropping it quickly when enough time had passed for it not to be overly rude. "Harry Potter."

* * *

Yeah. Harry doesn't know what all the Unforgivable's are yet. Crucial was acutally 'Crucio' X_x

Whooo, I introduced some more characters :P I changed Barty Crouches looks a little, because honestly, all members of the dark seem to have dark hair, pale skin and dark eyes. Except the Malfoys, of course, but we needed someone a little more cheerful looking.

Long chapter, and I'm sorry if it's a little boring to read. I was half asleep when I wrote most of this, 'cause I got sick. -_-

Snape isn't at the dinner. He's working at Hogwarts, so he can't come.

I'm thinking Bella is gonna hate Harry, of course. Barty will be a buddy, of sorts, because the character totally needs more spotlight than he got. He's awesome! Narcissa will be a little motherly, I think, since she only has one kid and she likes Harry's spunk. Lucius…undecided. Give me ideas, I'll gladly use them.

Next chapter coming soon. =)


	11. Agent 007

DarkShadowPhoenix - Probably no pairings, since I very much doubt I'd be able to write any romance well. If I do decide on a pairing, though, Harry/Daphne will definitely be highly considered. I quite like that couple. =)

Ledocteur - I am most probably going to make the relationship between Harry and Barty to be funny. Barty was funny in Goblet Of Fire, when he was dressed as Moody and turned Draco into a ferret, so he definately has the background for it. Harry has his suspicions. From his upbringing, he can associate screaming with pain, and laughter with sick joy. Thus the reason he hasn't explored the dungeons yet :P

Please read and review. Critisim is welcomed, as is advice.

Nothing is mine =D

* * *

I pouted moodily at the ground, arms crossed and brow furrowed. Tom was standing next to be, back straight and hands loosely clasped behind his back. I was so ticked with him right now.

He was inviting a kid here. A kid, of all things! I'd had enough of people my own age back in Privet Drive. Knowing my luck, wizard kids were probably just as bad as Muggle kids.

Tom assured me they weren't, but you never could trust someone who has tried to kill you before.

He wouldn't say whose child it was, either. Just told me to wait and see, that it was important I gain some allies my own age. Bullshit.

I heard the door click open, then closed again. Two sets of footsteps approached us, on expensive sounding shoes. Great. The child was a snob.

"I have brought my son, My Lord." a smooth voice drawled out. I let out a low moan of annoyance. Of all the people, it had to be Lucifer's son!

I glanced up, face still grumpy as ever, but it cleared when I got sight of the kid standing in front of me. Good God, Lucy was tough on the boy. He had dyed his sons hair the exact colour as his own!

I stared at him for a moment, and he stared back. "Don't tell me I'm that frightening." I said scathingly.

The boy's face morphed into confusion. "Huh? Why on earth would I be scared of _you_?" he demanded, scowling at me.

I gestured to his too-bright hair. "Hair turns white when you've had a bad fright." I informed him smartly. "That's evidence, right there."

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Tom sighed and tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up questionably.

"You just insulted the entire generation of Malfoy's, Harry." he muttered quietly, nodding towards the two males standing before us. They both looked kinda angry.

"What? How?" I challenged, deciding to be difficult. Not that it was a change, of course.

He gave me a tired look. "Lucif-…_Lucius_ has the same hair colour as his son. You are implying that his has also turned white from fear." I thought it was funny how he almost said Lucifer. Lucius didn't seem to share my amusement.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't be ridiculous! I know Lucifer dyes his."

Again, Lucy started choking on air, eyes bulging out as Tom seemed to be trying not to outright guffaw. When they both got a hold of themselves properly, Lucifer gave me a mean glare.

"I do not dye my hair! Do not ever suggest so again!" he all but yelled. That totally proved he did, but I decided not to take that any further. I simply gave him a calm nod, and turned back to the kid with a raised eyebrow. Hey, if he didn't agree with my attitude, he wasn't ally material.

Lucius put his hand on the boys shoulder. "Introduce yourself, Draco." he murmured quietly. As if he didn't already do it for him.

The boy didn't seem to catch on, though, and held out his hand. "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." he said haughtily.

I took his hand for a brief second, before dropping it. There was no way I could pass up this opportunity…

"And I'm Bond. James Bond." I commented dryly, ignoring Tom's exhausted sigh.

The joke fell short on Draco. He stared at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"James is a Muggle name." Oh, dear God.

I had to resist the urge to copy Tom, and sigh. I simply folded my arms again, and lifted my nose high in the air like I'd seen Petunia do a million times before.

"It was my great-great-great-great-great grandmother's name." I snapped, trying to sound important. "Twice removed. She created the wand, you know. Before her, people used sticks."

"…You were named after a lady?" Draco blurted, giving me an odd look.

I was trying so hard not to laugh. Apparently, so was Tom from the amusement I felt through our weird link. "Problem?" I queried dangerously, raising my eyebrow in challenge.

"No, no. Not at all. It's just, Bond isn't a pureblood family." he said carefully, narrowing his eyes at me as if I were vermin.

"I'm half-blood. My mother was from a long line of purebloods, and my father was Muggle-Born." I shot back snootily, lifting my chin up. It was kind of the truth, if you reversed the roles of mother and father.

Draco took a step back like I was diseased or something. "My father said half-bloods were improper."

I looked at him seriously now, acting turning off completely. "And what do you think?" I asked him harshly, glaring at him.

"I just said-"

"What your father thinks, yes. But I'm more interesting in what you think, no Lucy over there." I gestured carelessly in the direction of a surprised and drawn-in Lucius.

Draco frowned, and looked to be deep in thought. After a moment, he looked up, no longer cautious of my half-bloodedness. If that's a word.

"I don't know." he admitted slowly, as if thinking for himself for the first time. I could almost bet he was.

"Hmm. Well, think about it, and get back to me." I said casually. "By the way, my name isn't James Bond. That's a guy from a Muggle movie, which of course you have obviously never heard of."

He gave me a pissed off look. "You could have said that before. It would have saved a lot of trouble. Are you pureblood, then?" Then last sentence was asked hopefully.

I shook my head, smirking at him. "Still half-blood. Mum was a Muggle-born, Dad was a pureblood."

He sighed. "Well, I suppose it's better than you being a Mudblood. I mean, at least you weren't raised by filthy Muggles." he offered.

I snickered. "Actually, I was. And it's Muggle-born, not Mudblood."

Draco looked torn. He let out a low, frustrated groan and shook his head. "I guess…we can be friends. You might be a Muggle-raised half-blood, but at least you act like a pureblood. Of sorts."

I put a dramatic hand across my chest, and widened my eyes as I gaped. "Oh my! Your friend? I'm not sure, am I worthy to befriend a Malfoy?" I gasped.

He gave me an annoyed look. "Very funny. What is your name, anyway?"

I beamed at him. "Harry Potter." I chirped.

The look on his face was absolutely priceless.

* * *

Heh. Yeah. I had to introduce Draco, 'cause I do so like the character =) Won't be Harry/Draco slash, in case people take the newly-forming friendship as a hint. I just think Harry needs a kid his own age to be sarcastic with, too. Plus, Draco needs to form his own opinions for once ¬_¬


	12. I Feel Like Flying

Kamorie - Gah, they are. X_X Hmm. I have summer holidays soon. I'll take each chapter down and fix them then, since I'm a little busy right now. =) But I promise, they will get fixed. (Btw, in case this was one of the words you meant, Lucifer is not a mistake. It's one of Harry's nicknames for Lucius.)

Setsuna-X - Harry is six years old. Heh. Story isn't moving that fast, to be honest. Harry has only been at Voldemort's house for…a few weeks. Sorry, I haven't made that clear enough in the story. It's around Autumn in the story. Early October. I might have something happening for Halloween, but I'm not sure if the idea is good enough to write about…I'll try to decide. :P

Please read and review. None of this belongs to me.

* * *

Draco stared at me in shock. That, or I had something on my face. No, he was staring me in the eye. Face was ok.

I cleared my throat politely, and he snapped out of it. A little.

"Y-You're Harry Potter?" he stammered, eyes wide and stunned.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm the queen. Seriously, if I wasn't Harry Potter, why the hell would I have said it in the first place?" I asked cuttingly.

His eyebrows slanted as he glared at me. "You said you were James Bond." he pointed out bitterly.

I grinned maliciously at him. "And you fell for it. Seriously, though, I'm not pulling your leg."

He scowled at me, eyes shifting from me to Tom, who was conversing quietly with Lucius.

"If you're Harry Potter, why are you here? My father said-" He paused, giving me a look that told me not to interrupt. "That you and the Dark Lord were enemies, and that you were living with Muggles."

I snorted. "Tom and I are enemies, sure, but that doesn't mean I can't live with him. Right?" I neatly avoided the Muggle question. There was no way I was going in to that.

Draco stared at me dumbly. "…You're his enemy…but you decided to live with him?" he asked slowly, not seeming to get it. Silly child.

"Exactly!" I beamed, patting him on the shoulder. "Glad you get it. Now, anything else you want to ask?"

He shook his head cautiously, eyes still wide. "No…no. I don't think I can handle any more of your weirdness." He paused for a moment to think. "Do you play Quidditch?"

I wiggled my nose. "That was a question, Draco." I pointed out. "But no. I don't even know what that is."

Draco sighed, and turned to Lucifer. "Father, can we go outside? Jame-…Harry doesn't know what _Quidditch_ is." By the tone of his voice, he found this a complete disgrace.

Lucy looked over to Tom, who nodded and gestured carelessly for us to go. "Just don't kill yourself or anything. I'm not wasting the house-elves time over having to scrape you off the ground." Those were Tom's parting words. Lovely.

Draco and I walked out to the expanding gardens the old house had. The grass was overgrown and littered with weeds, but apparently Quidditch didn't require being on the ground. I wasn't so sure I liked the sound of this.

He lead me over to the storage shed, which was filled with broomsticks. Oh, and an old bed and stove. No clue why they were there, but oh well.

Draco lifted two brooms, handing one to me. Ugh. The stereotypes were true. Next thing you know, they'll be wearing pointed hats and poking each other with over-designed staffs.

I took the broom with distaste. "Seriously, Muggles are _so_ onto this world." I muttered to myself, as we walked out again.

"What do you mean?" Draco inquired, as he stopped and mounted his broom. I did the same.

"I mean, they know about wands and brooms and potions and spells. Do witches have pointed hats?" The word 'hats' came out a little too high as the broom rose off the ground when I jumped up a little. Oh. My. God.

I was flying! This was so bloody amazing, even though I was only a few feet off the ground.

Draco smirked, either at my face or my question. "Yes." Was his simply reply, before he leaned forward and zoomed off.

I experimented a little, leaning forward and yelping when the broom went flying. I just managed to pull up in time before smashing into a tree. Alright, so I was really high now. And I mean, really high. I tried not to look down, in case I was afraid of heights. Hey, you never really know with those kind of things.

I'm not gonna bore you with the details. We basically flew for a good while, since Draco didn't have a 'snitch on him'. I have no idea what that is, either. We then landed when it started to rain, since both Lucy and Tom would be pissed if we came into the manor dripping wet.

We put back the brooms, and began walking back to the house.

"Well, what do you think of flying?" Draco asked casually, putting his hands in the pockets of his robes.

I sniffed in distaste. "Completely stereotypical." I uttered arrogantly. I then paused thoughtfully, and added, "But it was _hella_ fun."

Draco beamed at me. "See? I knew you'd like it! You're pretty good at it too, for a first timer. You know, my father said that James Potter was captain of the Hogwarts Quiddtich team."

I turned my head to him in interest. "Really? My dad was team captain? Wow…that's pretty wicked."

We got inside, and Draco had to go home. By 'Floo', which confused me as to why they didn't get burns from the weird green flames. Still, we said our farewells and he said I should dip into the Potter trust fund for money for my own broom.

Once they left, Tom turned to me as we walked back to my room. The sun was setting, and I was pretty tired.

"So? Is he ally material?" There was an annoying knowing smirk on his face that said he knew Draco would be more than an ally.

I sneered at him. "I suppose so." I drawled arrogantly. "I mean, he isn't half as bad as Lucy once he gets rid of all the prejudices."

Tom hummed a little and nodded. "Yes, I suppose most Pureblooded children can be a little too dependant on their parents." he said thoughtfully, staring straight ahead.

I smirked. "See? Us orphans have our upsides." I said cheerfully. Speaking of orphans…

"Tom, what's the Potter trust fund?"

* * *

Dun. Dun. DUN.

Yeah. I've got an idea for the next chapter, which had been done a billion times before in other fics. Still, I'mma gonna copy. ;) If I decide against it...it'll still be interesting. :P


	13. Suicide Act?

I decided against one of my origional ideas for the bank. It was too...unrealistic?

I think I may have spelled the name of the bank wrong :P

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

I quickly learned just what the Potter trust fund was, a few days later. Tom and I went on my first trip to Diagon Ally. We were going to Grindott's, the wizards bank. Tom said he had to go there anyway, but I very much doubt that. He had obsessive followers, he wouldn't need to withdraw his own money.

We used side-along Apparation, which was too close for my likings. I grumbled something among the lines of, "Invading my personal bubble," but otherwise stayed silent. I hopped away from him the second we landed, which wasn't very difficult considering I landed flat on my ass.

After some taunting, we headed off to the bank. I don't even want to try and repeat the strange rhyme they had for security code, 'cause I can't even remember it.

And the bank managers! Strangest little creatures I ever saw.

"What are those things?" I whispered to Tom, as we walked alongside each other to the till.

"Goblins. They run the bank, and I very much doubt they'd be pleased if they heard you calling them 'things." he murmured back, stopping in front of one of the tellers.

The creature - goblin - peered up at us through the glasses that were on the tip of his hooked nose. Such an ugly thing…but wise looking nonetheless. He raised an eyebrow for us to speak. Guess he wasn't much for greetings, then.

"The boy would like to make a withdrawal from the Potter vaults." Tom requested smoothly.

The goblin narrowed his eyes at him, then turned his creepy gaze to me. "And are you a Potter?" he asked, in a hoarse and crabby voice.

I gave him weird look. "As far as I know. Unless, of course, Mum wasn't as faithful as we all thought." I rambled on, taking a moment to pause in thought. "If that's the case, I don't know."

There was silence from Tom and the goblin, as both gave me disbelieving looks. The goblin narrowed his eyes at me a little. "Do you have your key?" he snapped.

Tom shook his head for me. "We don't. Could you perform a blood test, and perhaps have a new one made?"

The goblin sneered at him, then shouted, "Griphook!"

Another goblin came, this one slightly younger looking. His skin wasn't as wrinkled, or as leathery looking. "What is it?" the new goblin asked in a bored tone.

The older goblin sneered at him, too. Rude creature. "This boy claims to be a Potter. Take care of him." And with that, he left. Guess he didn't like my sarcasm too much, then.

Griphook invited us behind the counter, and took us to a side room. Once the door was closed, and Tom and I were in our comfy armchairs, he began to talk.

"Now, you want a blood test and a new key, then? If you are Mr. Potter." Griphook added after a moments thought.

I nodded. "Yeah. Say, why'd he call for you, Griphook?" I inquired curiously, tapping my fingers on the side of the chair.

The goblin looked surprised. Perhaps because I asked the question, or merely because I used his name. These goblins didn't seem very friendly to one another, to be honest.

"I am the keeper of the Potter vaults. I deal with all the Potters, or in this case, people claiming to be Potters." he answered professionally, going behind the desk and taking out a large, stone basin. It had many ruins carved into it, and looked positively ancient. "Please prick your finger and drop some blood into the basin."

I shrugged, got up and walked over to the basin. I pricked my finger with the knife he handed me, and let a few drops of blood fall into the cloudy liquid. It quickly changed colour to lilac, then a dusty-like substance rose from it and floated to the far wall. A tapestry of some sort materialized.

I gave the goblin a questioning look, as he pulled the basin towards him to start on the key. "The lilac means you are a Potter. The pictures on the wall are your family tree. You may read it, if you like, or we can continue on to the vaults." he explained lazily, clasping his hands behind his back as he addressed me. Tom had yet to move from the chair.

I didn't answer him, but went to the wall anyway and started reading.

I was heir to Gryffindor, and the Potter family. Guess I wasn't a love child, then, I thought with a wry smile. My eyes travelled on down the wall. I was also heir to the Slytherin and Gaunt families. How odd…

"Hey, Tom?" I called out. He was standing behind me shortly. "Why am I heir to Slytherin and Gaunt? I thought _you_ were Slytherin's heir." I pointed to the crests of both families. Both crests contained snakes. No surprise there.

Tom was silent for a moment. "…It would seem my theory was correct." he mused, more to himself than anything. "A side effect of the scar, Harry. I'll explain later." His tone was hushed and quiet. He clearly did not want the goblin to overhear.

I gave a simple nod, and looked farther down. Heir to the Ravenclaw and Evans family. Wait…what?

"I thought my Mum was Muggle-Born." I commented, deadpanned, as I stared at the blue crest.

Tom hummed a little. "She was. But it would seem her family was one of the long-dead lines of Ravenclaw. She was one of the rare random bursts of magic most Muggle families get every few centuries."

Cool. I was heir to three founders…all except Hufflepuff, but honestly, who wanted loyalty anyway? My eyes trailed on down. Heir to the house of Black? What?

"Sirius Black made you his heir before he went to Azkaban." Griphook said, having just moved to stand behind us. I saw he had a newly made brass key in his clawed hand.

Gross. That meant I was, in some weird and twisted way, related to Bellatrix. I gave an involuntary shudder, but lightening up a little when I realized I was related to Draco, now, too.

"Shall we go to the vaults?" Tom suggested, having slipped back into his customary bored tone. I nodded once, and Griphook took us to the carts.

It was a bit like a rollercoaster, really. Even though I didn't throw up, I came very close. Again, with the personal bubble problem. The cart was cramped and squishy, and I kept very much to my own side. Ditto with Tom.

We hopped out of the cart, and Griphook quietly opened the massive door to the vault. My eyes widened when I saw it.

This was only the trust fund? Good God, it looked like the entire family fortune! I made my withdrawal quickly (tons and tons of gold…), and only took what was necessary. Didn't want to waste it all, now, did I?

We exited the bank, and made our way towards the broom shop.

"I have business to attend in Knockturn Ally." Tom commented, stopping outside the creepy looking ally that I couldn't imagine anyone coming out of alive.

"…You sure that place is fit to inhabit humans?" I asked dryly, eyeing the dark, cobbled streets.

Tom smirked. "_I'm_ not human. But you are, so wait by the broom shop or go get an ice-cream or something until I come out. Alright?"

I nodded, waved him a lazy dismissal, and made my way toward the broom shop. It was bloody amazing! So many different brooms, and not for cleaning either. For flying, for speed, for freedom…wow, how poetic of me. Heh.

I eventually settled on purchasing a Nimbus 1300, the newest model at the time. It was sleek, polished, and even came with a free broom kit. Handy. The shopkeeper shrunk it for me, and gave me a small, purple velvet bag to carry it in. Said it was heavy for a 'wee child like yerself'.

I took Tom's advice, and got myself a chocolate ice-cream. But…waiting around was so very boring. Who knew how much longer he would be? So I did the Gryffindor thing.

I entered Knockturn Ally.

Suicide act? Perhaps. But I was immensely curious. The place was creepy as hell, and ironically cold. But still, it was very interesting. So many abandoned looking shops that the odd customer would exit, carrying shady looking equipment or supplies. Spooky.

Tom hadn't mentioned where he would be at, so I decided to check Borgin And Burkes first. It actually had lights on, and seemed to have a lot of…interesting stuff, from the outside.

I entered the old shop, and was immediately assaulted by the dust of the place. Honestly, did they never clean? I don't understand how they were still open with this mess. Health inspectors should have shut then down long ago. Of course, wizards may not even have health inspectors…

Looks like there was no one around. No customers, no shopkeeper…perhaps the place was shut down? Someone probably left the lights on.

I heard footsteps, and soft murmuring. No. It was open. I pretended to look around at the weird objects, in case they thought I was shop lifting or something.

I heard the voices stop, and one set of footsteps disappeared. The other stayed.

"Well, well. If it isn't ickle baby Potter." a shrill, annoying voice taunted. Of all places, she had to be here. "In Knockturn Ally. Children often get stolen here, and I know an old woman who collects such _beasts_ for sale. What do you think, Potter?"

I wrinkled my nose, and turned to face Bellatrix, who had a crazed look in her eyes. "I think," I began wryly. "That you are the _perfect_ example of punishment gone wrong."

* * *

Ooooh. Burn. Bella ain't gonna like that, Harry :D

Hope this chapter was amusing for you all. :) Sorry it wasn't up sooner, I've been a little busy lately. It was almost done like 2 days ago, but not quite.

To be continued, of course :)


	14. Mother Bella

Next chapter will most probably be Halloween…I hope.

Please read and review!

Harry Potter, all related characters and his world don't belong to me. Don't sue, please. :D

* * *

Bella looked like she was about to murder someone. Mainly me.

"You…you…" She stuttered, face turning a shade of red that looked incredibly unhealthy. Vernon II, anyone?

She whipped out her wand, and pointed it straight at me. "_Crucio_!" she shrieked in fury, sending a red beam of light towards me.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I see some weird laser beam coming straight for me, curtsey of a madwoman, I usually find it best to dodge. So I did. I jumped sideways, right into an old shelf full of the strangest things in jars I'd ever seen.

The shelf tipped, and I rolled out of the way just in time before it smashed to the ground. Sending a lot of foul-smelling liquid everywhere. Not to mention glass. Lots and lots of glass. Fortunately for me, it smashed all over the floor. So Bella couldn't march across very easily in those killer heels.

I pushed myself off the ground, and stood up straight. I'd have to get out of here before…

"Foolish child! Look what you have done!" the shopkeeper spat, grabbing me by the shoulder quite roughly. Gee, I didn't even see him marching over. "Have you no idea how expensive those were? Your parents will be paying for that!"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "They can't. They're dead." I had a sudden idea. "But Bellatrix and I are as close as mother and son. I believe she will pay, right _Auntie_ Bella?" I asked, turning an innocent eye to a bewildered Bellatrix. She was still pointing her wand at me, grinding her teeth.

"I am not your mother, Potter!" she screamed, punctuating each word with a jagged flick of her wand.

I put on a distraught face. "But…but I thought you _loved_ me!" I cried, sending her a betrayed look.

She let out a shrill, ear-splitting shriek of laughter. "Love? Potter, no self-respecting woman would love a _pest_ like you! I can't even imagine why My Lord would keep you aro-" she stopped short there, having realized she had just contradicted her master. Fear was written all over her face, and she glanced around in case he was somehow there.

I rolled my eyes, then heaved a dramatic sigh. "Alright…but Tom will be awfully upset you were talking about him. And that you would let his new legal heir topple over this huge cabinet. I could have been hurt." Ok, so I was lying through my teeth. But this was just too fun!

She went very pale, then. Horrified, even. "L-Legal heir?" she stammered, voice a mere whisper.

I smirked. "Oh, yes! We went to the bank, didn't you know? Tom is now my guardian." That reminded me. Who the hell was my guardian, anyway? Eh, I'd find out later. Right now, I had a game to play.

Bellatrix did the one thing I have never expected to see her do. She was cruel, insane, cold-hearted and just downright rude. But she did it. She dropped to the glass-strewn floor in a dead faint.

Silence ensued. The shopkeeper's grasp on my robes loosened, as he stared at the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange's unconscious body. I just smirked in victory, and backed out the door quietly. I had to go find Tom, because this place was giving me the creeps.

The shopkeeper didn't notice my absence, and I had established that Tom was definitely not in that shop. I sighed and moved further along the narrow path, deeper into Knockturn Ally. A few people in dark robes walked past me. They all had their hoods up, and it was then that I realized I should have mine up too. It wouldn't do to be recognized, no matter how well the scar was hidden.

I pulled up my hood, casting a shadow over my face. There. That was better.

A creepy old woman approached me, her own hood down. She was so…so erratic looking! One of her eyes was a shocking blue, and the iris was dipped to one side of the white. The other was a deep brown, and was staring at me with an unnerving intensity. I got the feeling this was one of the women Bella was threatening about.

She raised a frail, wrinkled hand and some strange wind picked up. It blew off my hood. How the hell did she manage to do that?

"Such a pretty child…" the possible paedophile murmured fondly, single eye raking over me. "And so delicious looking…"

I grimaced a little, but took a step to the side to try and sidetrack her. She stepped to the side too, back hunched as she gazed at me. White wisps of hair fluttered around her face, blown by the same unseen wind.

"Oh, don't go, sweet child! I only want to play." she cooed, grin revealing blackened and missing teeth.

I gave her a cautious look. "I'm more of a reader, to be honest. I'm not into playing. I know a kid who is, though. Names Draco. I can get him, if you-" She cut me off.

"Oh, no, I would much prefer you, little boy. Such enchanting eyes…so dark…so haunted…but so beautiful. Like two rounded emeralds." she said wistfully, taking a step towards me. For a hunchback, she was still taller than me. Damn, I needed a growth spurt.

I took a step back, as her hand came up to stroke my face. "Seriously, I'm looking for…for my Dad. He's in the ally somewhere, and I think he might be looking for me." Alright, so I was fibbing. Again. But I was starting to feel very uneasy right now.

The feeling ten-folded when a cold hand clamped down hard on my shoulder.

I let out a small yelp, and jumped. The lady's eyes filled with fear, but she gave a Cheshire-cat-like grin that made her face seem even more waxy.

"Dark Lord…I did not expect to see you here today." she commented in a mild voice. She was so obviously afraid.

I relaxed a little. But only a little, because I knew he'd be mad. I tensed up slightly again when I heard his voice.

"Get out of my sight." he commanded, voice cold and powerful. The woman was quick to scamper off in shame.

We stood in silence for a few minutes. I didn't want to turn around, because I knew he'd be very angry, and I think he was waiting for me to speak. Or apologize. I don't know. Finally, the silence became too much for him.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing here?" the icy voice asked softly from behind me. The tone was so rarely used in front of me, never mind to me. I suppressed a flinch, and turned around slowly to look up to the cold face of the Dark Lord.

Because that's what he was then. Not Tom. Voldemort. I had learned, over the past few weeks, from watching and studying, that there was a massive difference. Kind of like a…split personality? Yes. Two different people.

I cleared my throat slightly, trying to neither sound nor look nervous. "Well…I was looking for you…" I trailed off uncertainly, and for the first time, I felt uneasy with him.

His face remained unchanging, though I noticed that his eyes were glazed and cloudy. "I see. And did I not tell you to wait outside the ally?" he asked, voice an emotionless monotone.

I shifted a little. "Well…yes…but I kinda got impatient, so I came in." I replied, glad my voice was strong and steady. It wouldn't do to let him intimidate me.

He was grounding his teeth together, from the look of that jaw movement. Yes. Definitely grounding them. "So, you thought I was lying? Since you decided to _disobey_ an order?"

That struck a chord. I frowned up at him, slightly confused. Slightly wary. "I'm not a Death-Eater, Tom. I'm not one of your servants. And you're twisting my words. I never said you were lying. You just took a long time, so I decided to come in."

His previously glazed eyes cleared, and became sharp and alert once more. He blinked once, looked up, then looked down at me again. "No…indeed you are not. A servant, I mean. Come, let us go." His tone was mild and slightly off.

And just like that, he dropped the subject and we walked out of the ally together. No one came near you when you had an evil Dark Lord at your side. But I couldn't help but be freaked out by the strangeness that had just occurred. I decided to break the silence with that.

"Tom…what just happened?" I asked hesitantly, stuffing my hands in the pockets of my robes. I felt the velvet pouch that contained my broom in there, and the rest of my galleons I had taken out of the bank.

He was quiet for a moment, before simply replying: "A side-effect of being immortal."

I didn't pursue the question anymore.

* * *

What just happened? I'll tell you.

Well, obviously if you split your soul so many times, there's bound to be disastrous side-effects. The books showed that with the canon-Voldemort. What Voldie has just experienced was kind of a…lapse of personality. He has two alter-ego's, I suppose you could say. Tom Riddle, and Lord Voldemort. Tom Riddle is who he is with Harry, who helps him be more human for a while. Lord Voldemort is who he is with his followers, when he's in battle, when he's torturing and killing. When he rules the Dark Side.

Lord Voldemort is insane. Tom Riddle…isn't as bad. ;) Anyway, Harry's kind-of-logical reasoning brought him out of his little episode.

I'm not an expert on mental-health, but heck. That was fun to write. =)

Creepy old lady = a strange witch who hangs around Knockturn Ally. Takes kids who come in there. Sells them, makes them into potions, etc. Heh. I made her up, she scares the crap out of me!


	15. Foul Is Fair

RRW - Voldie isn't going to be making himself mortal again any time soon. Trust me :P But, for the record, Tom actually does look human in this story. He doesn't look snake-like, since he didn't use the -Blood Of The Enemy' ritual like in Goblet Of Fire. He found a different way to get a body, which I haven't…thought of yet :P But he has a nose and all, looks like an older Tom Riddle. Except for the eyes, of course.

Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone, keep it up :D

Halloween chapter = NEXT chapter, hopefully. I have to do this first ;)

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

I had taken to joining Tom in his study recently. It's an intelligent looking place, really. A fireplace, two armchairs, a desk with a man studying an old book behind it, and dozens of bookshelves. It was a lot like a small library, to be honest.

Right now, I was sitting on the opposite side of Tom's desk. We were both reading silently. I was reading Shakesphere (Can you believe Tom actually keeps Muggle books in his house?) and was barely understanding a word of it. Tom was reading an old tome I would rather not ask about. The red stains on the cover looked suspiciously like blood.

I cleared my throat slightly, and glanced up at him through my bangs. "So…ah, you know the way I'm Slyherin's heir, too? And you said you'd explain later?" I hinted casually.

Tom reluctantly bookmarked the page he'd been frowning at, and leaned back in his seat. "Ah. Yes. Glad you remember. You see, you and I have a…special connection."

"No kidding." I muttered sarcastically. "And the connection has something to do with my scar."

He nodded. "Precisely. Back in 1981, when the spell backfired," he paused, giving me a withering glare. Guess he still hadn't gotten over that. "It seems that I have created an accidental Horcrux."

I stared at him for a few moments. "…Huh?" I finally settled on. The dude wasn't making any sense whatsoever.

He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "A Horcrux is an object in which you place part of your soul." he explained slowly, watching my face carefully for a reaction. "In doing so, even if your body is destroyed, your spirit lives on. In other words, you cannot die."

I stared at him emotionlessly for a moment. "So…you have split your soul…and placed part of it in me?" I asked in a dull monotone. I guess I went into shock a little.

"Not on purpose. You are probably the first human Horcrux ever created. Not many actually dabble with this kind of Black Magic." I noticed how he said 'black magic', and not 'dark magic'.

I glared at him now. "Why the hell would you even split your _soul_ in the first place? You do know you've probably driven yourself insane?" I snapped irritably. Well, perhaps irritably is an understatement. I was incredibly furious with him for being so damn stupid!

He looked like he expected this sort of reaction. "I know. It is a small price to pay for immortality, in my opinion." He paused for a moment, while I set my jaw tensely. "This is the reason you can speak to snakes. Parseltongue is only ever found in direct heirs of Slytherin. Probably also the reason Nagini is so attached to you."

I gave him a puzzled, but still angry, look. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly. I had a feeling what he meant, and it wasn't a good one.

He leaned forward in his seat a bit. "Well, you aren't my only Horcrux…otherwise I would have died that night."

I gaped at him. "You have _two_ Horcruxes?" I all but yelled, sitting up straighter now.

He drummed his fingers on the desk, creating a tapping sound on the wood. "No. I have eight." He said it so casually, like it wasn't the stupidest thing he could have ever done.

I blew out a breath slowly through my nose. "I can see why you're the most feared Dark Lord of the century." I murmured numbly, staring at the book resting on the table. Macbeth. Fair is foul, and foul is fair. What an odd thing to say. "You can't die. You can float around for a few years, but you can't actually die unless every part of your soul is destroyed."

We sat in silence for a moment, before a thought came to me.

"Wait…if I have part of your soul…then that makes me…" I trailed off, dread filling my core.

Tom shook his head. "No, you aren't immortal." Thank God. "But if you were to die of a natural disease, say of old age or something, the Horcrux would take over your body."

I was breathing slightly heavier now. Harsher. "I…I see. And I can't just get rid of it, can I?"

He shook his head again. "The only way I think that could possibly work would be the Killing Curse. But even then, it could kill you as well. It's too risky to try." he muttered sullenly.

I sighed deeply, and looked up at him. "Well, there isn't much we can do about that now…but I still think it's the stupidest mistake you've ever made." I pointed out, earning me a smirk from him. "Are there any possible side-effects of having part of someone else's soul?" It was so weird to say. Someone else's soul…inside me. Gross.

He pondered for a moment, eyes flickering to my scar every so often. Eventually, he gave a glum nod. "Yes. You may be…possessed, by the Horcrux is you are in a desperate enough situation. If you are weak enough. It had happened to Nagini once, while she was ill." I didn't know snakes could get ill.

I groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Great. Nice going, Tom. Next time I get the flu, we can say hello to Lord Voldemort, Part 8." This was lightening the mood slightly. I say slightly, because there isn't much you can do when you've just been told you're a bloody Horcrux.

He rolled his eyes. "Definitely looking forward to that." he muttered, relaxing his pose slightly. Huh. I hadn't even realized he was tense. Guess both of us were pissed about this whole Horcrux deal.

I thought for a moment, then decided to change subject. "So…who is my guardian, now, anyway?"

Tom looked a little surprised at the easy change of subject, but answered anyway. "Albus Dumbledore is your magical guardian, if that's what you mean. If I remember correctly, that would also mean he has a key to your trust vault. Although, he wouldn't be able to access it…"

"…And what does that mean, magical guardian? What's the difference in that and normal guardianship?" I inquired curiously, folding my legs underneath me and leaning on the wooden arm of the chair.

"It means he decides where you live, who gets to send you mail, and what school you attend. Traditionally, he is supposed to have access to your trust vault, but since you are a pureblood heir, he doesn't have the power." he explained, all in one breath. Impressive.

I pulled a face. "So he has any mail I've gotten over the years, and I have to go to Hogwarts?" I didn't like the sound of that.

Tom shook his head. "He has the mail, of course, but you can change that by informing the bank that you want your mail received directly to you. I wouldn't advise it, though, since you'd have far too much fan-mail to count." he drawled, looking quite amused. "And you don't have to do anything. He may be your guardian, but he doesn't even know you're _alive_. The entire wizarding world thinks you dead after the carnage they found at the Muggle's home. It's in the Daily Prophet every other day. Nightmare to read in the morning."

I made a huffing noise, but said no more.

* * *

I know. Terribly boring chapter. But it needed to be done. Next chapter will be up soon, since schools out (Woohoo!), and hopefully it will be a lot more interesting to read.

For the record, I've only read the first page of Macbeth. -_- So yeah. If any of that's wrong, don't blame me.


	16. Day Of The Dead

Setsuna-X - Gringotts wouldn't really be sending Harry anything that hints that he's alive. He seen about his vault and everything, there really isn't anything to send. Other mail would be from fans, and that would just keep coming whether he's dead or alive. :P

Please read and review.

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

Halloween is a big event among Death Eaters. It was both the day their Lord was temporarily vanquished, and also the day of the dead. And trust me, Death Eaters prefer people dead. Its in the name.

They have a huge party every year, (Or _social gathering_, as Tom called it. He dislikes the world 'party'.) and invite all the followers and their families. They don't have bobbing for apples or trick-or-treating like Muggle's do. No, they're too mature for that. Or so they think.

They have a gathering in Riddle Manor, or whatever the current base is, meal then celebrations. The celebrations are all over the manor, except for in Tom's private wing. Anyone who tries to set foot there gets vaporized on the spot by the wards. Except me, of course. The Horcrux comes in handy for something, at least.

There's wine and snacks for the adults, and they stand around talking with each other and laughing at whatever Death Eater has managed to get himself drunk. The kids who come along just do whatever keeps them occupied.

So here we were tonight, Draco and I, being forced to introduce ourselves to some of the adults before we could leave. And their kids, of course. Draco already knew most of them, but I didn't. Apparently it was necessary, according to Lucius. Tom was off somewhere in the crowd, mingling with his followers.

A pug-faced girl was standing in front of me, next to her father. Parkinson, or something. He was rather unpleasant, and the same could be said for the girl.

"I'm heir to the Parkinson estate." she bragged loudly, flipped her bob over her shoulder. Well, at least, she tried to. It was too short, which was the reason people didn't wear them anymore. She didn't seem to notice, though. "Daddy said you're Harry Potter."

Draco and I looked at each other. He wasn't kidding when he said she was 'unbearable'. "Yeah, I'm Harry Potter. You could've just asked, though. That way I wouldn't get the creepy feeling that adults I don't know are talking about me when I'm not around."

She gave me an overly haughty look, and I got the idea she didn't hear anything after the words, 'Harry Potter'. "Draco and I are going to be married, did you know?" she boasted, changing subject completely.

Draco looked outraged. "We are not!" he shouted. "Father hasn't even agreed to that yet, because Mother wants me to be able to choose like she was."

Pansy looked indignant. "I am more than good enough for you, Draco! I am from a long line of purebloods!"

"…No." I pointed out, folding my arms as her attention returned to me. "You have obviously been crossed with a Pug dog in the early fifteenth centaury. There's no way your pureblood, or pedigree, in that case."

Yeah. That meeting didn't go well. Needless to say, Draco had to drag me away before Pansy could go crying to her Dad. I saw him looking furious when she was sobbing to him, but I weaved through the crowd easily. One good aspect of being so small.

And then there was meeting Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed to be stuck to each other like their fathers were.

"Oh my God, your inbred!" I yelped, upon hearing them grunt in response to any question asked. "Who's the mother, Crabbe SR or Goyle SR?"

They didn't have the brains to understand that, and neither did their parents. I didn't even have to run away, I just walked.

Severus Snape was there, know I had only met once before and he'd taken a rather…odd reaction.

"Hey, it's that Sev guy!" I shouted cheerfully, bounding over to him and grinning at Draco. "This dude healed me, he's awesome."

Severus looked startled to see me, but put on a calm demeanour. "Mr. Potter." he greeted, giving me a nod.

Draco snorted. "Sev, don't be like that!" he whined, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Harry's a friend."

I grimaced at the all-too-personal gesture, and shook his arm off. "My bubble, Draco. My bubble." I warned, trying to keep the mood still light. "How do you know Severus, anyway?"

"I am Draco's godfather." Severus explained formally, giving Draco a sort-of fond look. As fond as he could manage, anyway.

Draco smirked at me. "See? He likes me." he proclaimed, proudly. "He didn't like your dad, though." The last part was confided in a loud stage-whisper. Severus clearly heard it. It'd be hard not to.

I frowned up at Severus, and tilted my head. "Really? What was wrong with him?" A lot of people around here didn't like my dad. Mostly because he was on the Light side. I doubt Draco would even bother to tell me if that was the case.

Severus looked like he was going to go on a full-fledged rant, before catching himself on and hesitating. He looked me dead in the eye, and gave a small twitch/flinch.

"Your father and I did not get along. We were childhood enemies in Hogwarts." The words were spoken softly and quietly, but there was an obvious lust for revenge hidden deep in there. I decided not to force the tale out of him.

I just nodded slightly. "Alright. Did you know my mum?" Heck, if he knew my dad, surely he knew my mum, too?

He gave a bigger twitch this time, more of a flinch than ever. He looked pained. Poor bloke. "Your mother and I were friends up until our fifth year at Hogwarts." He sounded like he was choking on air, like Lucy so often did.

Again, I didn't force it out of him. He looked like he was positively drowning in sorrow. "You were friends? Then she was nice, yeah?" I hoped she was. My dad obviously did something wrong, and it'd be nice to know mum was clean.

He gave a stiff nod. "She was very kind, and extremely clever." He paused for a moment, surveying me over his hook nose. "Not unlike yourself." He seemed to be forcing himself to admit that.

I gave him a cocky grin. "I do try. Now, Draco and I must go. A very angry Mr. Parkinson is making his way over. If he asks, we died. Nuclear explosion. Happens all the time."

And, with that, we took off sprinting in the opposite direction. This was one hell of a party Tom had going! Unfortunately, while I was thinking that, I bumped into a rock-solid figure.

"Ouch." I muttered, backing up and glancing at whoever I had ran into.

Good Lord, he was different. The man was dressed in black, like most, but his skin shone paler than the rest. Bone-white, and it looked paper-thin. His hair was black, his eyes were black, and I think he had…

Fangs.

Holy shit, he was a vampire!

Draco must have noticed, too. He took a step back in alarm, make a sound between a whimper and a moan. I just stared up at him.

"You have run into me, child." the vampire informed me sharply. His voice was like…glass. That's the best I can explain it. Tinkling glass.

Despite my alarm, I found myself speaking without even thinking about what I was saying. "No duh, Einstein." Oh, shit.

The vampire seemed to be stunned I would answer like that. Then he seemed insulted, or angry. Then…he smirked? What?

Another vampire came up behind him. I could tell because of the skin and dark eyes. This one had dark red hair, though, and a completely different looking face. Not so sharp.

"Kids got guts, Inver." the red-head chuckled, a sound like shattering glass. "What's your name, child?"

I swallowed, and squared my shoulders. "Harry. My friend's name is Draco. What's yours?" I was surprised, and immensely glad, that my voice didn't falter once.

The red-head grinned, revealing shockingly white teeth. Two of them sharper than a human should have. Then again, he was clearly not human. Not anymore. "Utiha. My friend here is Inver. Excuse his manners, he's not very sociable."

Before I could get another word in, Draco blurted out the stupidest thing he could think of.

"You're not going to eat us, are you?"

Utiha and Inver exchanged a bemused look, then burst into shattering laughter. It was like sandpaper on the ears. "Oh, the amount of times I have heard that!" Utiha guffawed.

"And usually the answer is yes." Inver commented, enjoying Draco's face pale even more.

"But this time, it's no." Utiha reassured us, putting Draco out of his misery. "We have promised the Dark Lord we would not kill his ah…party guests, if we can help it."

"Of course, you are a little young to be servants of the Dark Lord…" Inver noted, watching in glee as Draco let out a terrified squeak.

I snorted. "We aren't servants. Well, at least, I'm not." I added, after a moments thought. "But Draco's dad is, and my…well, Tom lets me live here."

And so began my first conversation with a magical creature. Don't think they were veggie vampires or something. They weren't. They just found us more amusing to talk to than to feed on. That's how Tom found us about an hour later.

"…and so, if you just ask Tom to have blood-banks, you will hardly have to go through the bother of hunting. Trust me, Muggles do it all the time. And people will donate blood, if it keeps them from possibly getting murdered." I babbled on, rocking back on the balls of my feet.

"And what if we want fresh blood once in a while?" Inver asked, trying to find a loophole in my suggestion.

I shrugged. "Victims of the Dementor's Kiss. It's not like their good for much else, and their blood still flows healthily. If people are grossed out, just tell them it's like…recycling."

The two vampires shared an excited grin, then glanced behind my shoulder. "The boy is clever, Lord Voldemort. You would do well to keep him around." Utiha advised, voice full of wisdom.

I turned around and smirked up at Tom. "Yeah, Tom. Don't go smothering me in my sleep any time soon." I drawled sarcastically.

Tom gave me an intrigued look. "Blood banks…how brilliant…Inver, Utiha, would your clan be interested in these?" he quizzed them, voice cold but interested.

They both nodded simultaneously. "Very much, Lord Voldemort."

He nodded back. "Very well. I will see what I can arrange."

Draco and I followed him over to the front door, where Lucius and Narcissa were waiting patiently. Narcissa smiled at me once she spotted me trudging over.

"Harry, I haven't seen you all night. You either, Draco." She sounded suspicious.

Draco gave her a proud grin. "I've been introducing Harry to some new acquaintances, Mother. We met vampires!" He was practically bouncing on the spot, no longer the terrified mess he was an hour ago.

Narcissa looked stunned, and worried. "Vampires…Draco, are you alright?"

I felt a bit of a pang in my chest, there. I'd kill for a mum like that, to care for me and ask me if I was ok. Not that I hadn't already, of course, but still.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's ok, Mother, Harry talked us out of trouble. He even came up with an idea for the Dark Lord, can you believe that?"

Lucius smirked at me. "Surprisingly, I can. Pleasure to see you again, Mr Potter." His tone was calm and composed, but he was clearly wary of what else I would say to him that I hadn't said last time.

"Likewise, Lucy." I chirped brightly.

He sneered at me, but it had no bark behind it. "Say goodbye to Harry, Draco. We must be getting home."

Draco groaned a little, but turned to me. "Goodnight, Harry. I'll see you…well, whenever, I suppose." With that, he held out his hand for me to shake.

I stared at it for a moment, then slowly shook his hand. "You," I noted out loud. "Are much too formal."

He turned up his nose at me. "Well, I very much doubt you'd want a hug or something." he pointed out, haughtiness seeping back into his voice.

I cringed at the thought. "Fair point. See you, Draco."

Once they had left, there were very few people left. The ones that remained either had no kids or were just deep in conversation. Oh, and Bellatrix was still there, of course. Guess she'd woken up from her faint after all. No doubt she was waiting to be alone with Tom. Speaking of which…

"Hey Tom, you know the way it's Halloween?" I asked casually, and we walked slowly towards the hall again.

"I hadn't noticed." he drawled, voice dry as a bone.

"Sure you haven't. Anyway, I was wondering…" I trailed off for a moment, wondering if I should ask. Would it be inappropriate to ask him, of all people, this particular favour?

"You were wondering…" he mocked, clearly growing impatient. I decided I had nothing to lose.

"Can you take me to Godric's Hallow?"

* * *

Oooh. Godric's Hallow. Yeah, that's Harry old house, for those who don't know. The cottage he lived in as a baby.

The vampires are OC's, but I doubt they'll be appearing again.

Next chapter will be up soon. :)


	17. Visiting Home

Alright, maybe the vampires will show up again, since people like them so much. But I have to wait for a good place to put them in, so I don't screw up the storyline.

This chapter will be more angst-filled that funny. The reason is that he's going to the place his parents were killed. With their murderer. Not much to laugh about there. In fact, it wouldn't even happen in real life...but hell, this is fanfiction! Everythings acceptable here!

**Update** - Date of death has been corrected. Thanks for pointing out the mistake!

Please R&R, none of this belongs to me.

* * *

I landed flat on my butt, as Tom remained on his too-perfect feet. I hate side-along apparation. Especially at 2.30 AM. I stood up quickly, shooting Tom a dirty look before turning to stare at the cottage in front of us.

It was small, but would have looked cosy. Once. The presumably Gryffindor-red shutters were now charred black, and the remaining ones were banging open and close with each howl of the wind. The walls were burnt, and the chimney seemed to have collapsed into itself. I realized with a jolt that the place must have caught fire all those years ago.

Sitting in front of the wall, was some sort of memorial. Withered flowers, damp teddy bears and age-old notes had collected over the past few years. I could read a few open ones, just barely legible past the rain-induced smudges.

_"Rest in peace, Lily and James Potter."_

_"God bless Harry Potter."_

_"The Dark Lord will return."_

Seems like everyone had been here except for me.

I looked down at the rusted iron gate, and pushed it open. Making my way up the stone pathway, I glanced at the garden. It was horribly overgrown, and the weeds practically crawled up the walls. I stopped at the former front door, which had been blown off by Tom. I fingered the one remaining hinge, which dropped to the ground with a thud upon contact. Brilliant.

I looked over my shoulder at Tom, who had yet to move from his spot at the gate. Guess he was giving me some privacy. But I didn't want to go in alone. Not that I wanted my parents murderer in with me, of course, that was just plain disrespectful. But still, anyone was better than being left alone to memorise.

"You coming?" I called back to him, voice betraying no emotion. He gave me an odd look, then a stiff nod and followed my inside.

The hallway looked completely untouched, bar the blackness the flames had caused. Pictures and ornaments were laid perfectly straight on the table under the mirror. Portraits on the wall were impossible to see past the soot, but hadn't once been moved.

I made my way into the living room, or at least, I think that's what it was.

Bookcases, furniture, a fireplace and a playpen were among the decorative objects. I made to take a step forward, when my foot landed on something that wasn't the carpet. I glanced down, but it was impossible to see in the dark. Getting down on my knees, and I picked it up.

A square piece of paper, from the feel of it. Well, square-ish. It seemed to be burnt and curled in around the edges.

A familiar voice murmured, _"Lumos", _and a burst of light appeared behind me. Wordlessly, Tom handed me his now-lit-up wand. I sent him a weak smile of thanks, and used the wand to look at the paper.

It wasn't paper, not at all. It was a photograph. Family portrait, really. Although burnt at the edges, it was barely covered in any soot. I could make out the people in it well.

My mother was absolutely beautiful. Dark red hair flowed past her shoulders, bringing out her emerald eyes perfectly. They were the exact shade of my own, although hers were much more full of life. She was smiling brilliantly, looking like the happiest woman in the world. I daresay she was.

To her right, a man was sitting with his arm placed lovingly around her waist. He bore a charming grin, and his hazel eyes shone brightly behind his wire-rimmed glasses. His hair was ruffled and messed, just like my own. I knew this man was my father.

In the lap of my mother was an infant. Black hair, green eyes, big smile…it could only be me. Only, I looked like I hadn't a care in the world here. Completely different to the extreme guilt and anguish I was feeling right now. My father had his free arm wrapped around me in a half-hug. The perfect family.

I tucked the photo gently into the inner pocket of my robes, and rose. I noted with distain that there was graffiti on the wall. So someone had been in here.

_"Fuck da Potters. Master is best."_ The slanted, spray-canned writing read. I could only assume someone utterly incompetent like Crabbe or Goyle had bothered to do this. I'd find out later.

Quietly, I made my way into the kitchen. It took only a moment for the smell of rotten food to reach my nose. Coming from the refrigerator, no doubt. There was a table in the middle, with two chairs and a baby seat surrounding it. Seems Mum had cleared up for the night. In the sink, three sets of dishes remained unwashed. Frozen in time.

There was nothing for me in there. I slowly climbed the stairs, checking to see if Tom was still there. Dutifully, he stuck behind me the whole way. Eerily enough, he must have made this exact climb only five years earlier.

There was three rooms upstairs. One had an open door, and I could see it was a bathroom. I didn't even bother going in there. I went to the second door on the left. My parents room.

It was a medium sized room, with a double bed in the middle that bore an expensive, but soot-covered, satin quilt. Two bedside cabinets, a slide-open wardrobe and a wooden dresser.

I went over to the dresser, studying the bare artefacts on it. A hairbrush, with some auburn hair still in it. Some make-up. And a jewellery box.

I opened the jewellery box, only to be greeted with the sweet but sad sound of music. It was that song, the one from Nutcracker Suite. Sugar Fairy, or something. I couldn't have cared less for the name. My eyes surveyed the boxes contents, and one caught my eye straight away. I lifted it out with care, and held the wand up to it.

A simple, but beautiful, golden necklace. It had one of those locket-hearts that you can open, and you'll find a picture or something inside. Surrounded by tiny, crimson ruby diamonds was the word:

_"Lily"_

I carefully pried open the heart, and instead of a picture, there were three more words engraved in the gold.

_"I love you"_

If I took this, would I be stealing? Would it be grave robbing, or whatever Muggles called it? I was the last Potter heir, though. And they were my parents. Surely they wouldn't mind, even if I was technically 'friends' with their murderer, if I took a keepsake? To remind me of them?

No, I decided, clasping the locket on around my neck. They wouldn't mind. I tucked it safely under my robes, in case anyone asked why I was wearing a girls necklace.

Only one last room to go. I knew, before I even came to the blown off doorway, what it was. The nursery. My nursery.

I stepped inside, and immediately shuddered. The chill in the air was not just from the bitter cold. The very fact, the presence of death in this room, sent shivers down my spine. I looked around the room, wincing slightly as I did so.

A rocking chair sat in the corner, a small green cushion on top of it. Above it, a shelf filled with various kids toys. In the centre of the room, as expected, was a small, burnt out crib.

As I cautiously approached the crib, I got a flashback, a memory, that wasn't my own. Five years earlier. Approaching the same crib. A black haired boy in it, staring at me intently with striking eyes…

Just as sudden as it had come, it ended. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, and leaned over the crib. I had just actively entered the Horcrux. Stole a memory, from Tom's point of view.

Creepy.

The crib must have been round about where the fire started, judging by the state of it. It was a wonder I wasn't seriously burned that night. But, then again, my magic had saved me many times before. Why not when I was a baby?

In the far corner, almost completely hidden by a mixture of shadows and soot, was an object. A toy, to be exact. I reached over and grabbed it in my hand. It was semi-soft, a little rough at the edges. A medium-sized, brown teddy bear. It had the word, _'Harry'_, hand-stitched in gold thread in the middle of it's stomach. Did my mum make this?

It wasn't badly burnt. Not at all. A little singed at the edges of it's fur, and it's tails and ears were almost completely shrivelled. Still, it was in decent shape for a bear who had endured a house fire. And it was mine.

I clutched it possessively in my hand, down beside my thigh, and turned to Tom, who was patiently waiting at the door. He didn't seem very affected by being back here, except for the fact his eyes were just that little bit glazed. Then again, with seemingly emotionless Dark Lords, you never could tell.

Silently, we left the unstable house and went back outside. It felt great to be in open air again, not having to face any more depressing and downright guilt-ridden memories. Very great. I leaned on the wall, and Tom did the same.

"…Were they buried?" I asked, suddenly, turning slightly to face him.

He seemed a little surprised at the question. "Yes…I think so. There's a graveyard over that hill," He pointed to it.

Together, we made our way over to the graveyard. It just screamed 'Halloween', with it's deadened trees and creaking gate. A lot of the gravestones were crumbling, not that I paid them much attention. I didn't recognise any of the names, except…

"Whose is that?" I inquired, pointing to the well-kept grave of Ariana Dumbledore.

Tom peered at the grave, then pondered for a moment. "Albus Dumbledore's younger sister. Died of an accidental magic outburst, I believe."

I didn't say anything, but it was clear Dumbledore visited his sister's grave quite often by the excellent shape of it. I didn't want to see her grave, though. I wanted to see my parents.

Eventually, we did reach their grave. It wasn't very well kept, to be honest. People left flowers, of course, but they were long deadened. The memorial artefacts were in decent shape, but were surrounded by weeds growing up through the stone.

It was a simple tombstone, made of marble, undoubtedly from the Potter fortune. There were a few designs carved into the stone, but nothing too fancy. It bore the words:

_Here lies Lily and James Potter_

_Husband and wife, mother and father_

_Died 31st October, 1981_

_May they rest in peace._

Nothing all that heart-warming about it. But what was heart-wrenching for me was the fact that I had nothing to give. Complete strangers had probably visited this gravesite, and had left flowers and poems. I was their only son, and I had nothing.

I glanced down at the bear in my hand. It was mine. My own, from the day I was born. I was indecisive. On one hand, I still had the locket and picture to remember them by. The bear would be a nice memorial to give. On the other hand, I wanted to keep it. I wanted a plush toy like Dudley had always had. His little elephant. Mr. Custard, he called it. Don't ask me why.

In the end, I decided I best return the toy to those who had given it to me. I stepped forward, kneeled beside the headstone, and set my bear in a free space next to a bottle of holy water someone had left. I allowed myself a small, satisfied smile, and rose. I returned to my space beside a watchful Tom, and just stared at the stone.

I don't know how long we stood there in silence. Eventually, the angst inside of me became too much, and I started to cry. Not loudly, of course. In fact, I didn't even sniffle. I just silently let tears flow down my cheeks, head bowed and hands clenched into tight fists. I didn't bother to wipe them. I don't know if Tom even noticed, and if he did, I'm glad he did nothing. It would be much too embarrassing, not to mention the fact that it just make me feel worse. Instead, he just stared long and hard at the headstone, unblinking and seemingly pondering.

I wondered vaguely what he was thinking, then decided it would probably be best if I didn't know.

* * *

This is a second draft. I doubt any of you would have even wanted to see the first one. *Shudders*

I thought this came out quite well, actually. I even got a little sad writing it. =( Poor Harry.

Not funny at all, to be honest. But then again, it wasn't intended to be.


	18. The Mad Prisoner

Serious episode is over. For now, anyway. :P

Please read and review.

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

After the episode at Halloween, I was admittedly quiet for a few days. Sulking, grieving, call it whatever you want. I got out of it quick enough, though, but I never once took that locket off me. And I didn't intend to.

Eventually, I did start to talk again. Be myself. The next event I'm going to tell you about happened around mid-November. You know the way I said I didn't want to explore the dungeons yet? Yeah, well, it was silent down there, a rare occurrence in this house. So I went down.

Stupid, I know. The place was freezing, and smelled like blood and sweat. Not too strong, of course, but noticeable. The walls and floors were made of stone, and you had to walk a good while until you actually got to some cells. Security measures, I suppose.

Most of them were empty, but a few were occupied. No kids in there, thank God, but there were a few adults. On the third cell to the left, a woman was sobbing and screaming about her children. Trust me, you didn't want to see the state of her.

A cell a few down from hers had a man in it. He didn't scream, didn't talk. He didn't make any noise at all. He just stared blankly ahead, laying slouched on his side. I think Bellatrix might have broken him. Not sure.

But on the right hand side, fifth cell down, was a man who looked a right mess. He was covered in his own blood, still bleeding from various gashes. His body was wracked with tremors I had come to identify as after-affects of the Cruciatus Curse. His entire right arm was completely skinned, looked incredibly painful, and his ankle was twisted in an odd way. Broken, I think.

Yet he seemed so relaxed.

Sitting there, crossed-legged, with a slight smile on his face as he stared idly around his prison cell. I cleared my throat slightly as I went over to his cell, staring at him in puzzlement.

"…Are you alright?" I asked quietly, kinda perplexed by the fact that he didn't seem very bothered about being a prisoner.

He looked up at me, and his smile widened slightly. Well, at least he was reacting. Not completely insane, yet. "Oh, hello! My…a _child_? In _Mouldy-Shorts_ dungeons?" I stifled a giggle there. Tom wouldn't be so humoured to hear that. "Gosh, I must be mad…Moody will have my head."

He seemed so excitable and happy, I had to bite back a smile. Damn positive attitude was contagious.

"Who's Moody?" I quizzed him, sitting down directly across from him on my side of the bars. I crossed my legs, too. "Pretty obvious name for someone who'll have your head, if you ask me."

He seemed real happy to have someone to talk to. "Oh, a visitor! How exciting!" He clapped his hands merrily, then lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper. "Alastor Moody is an Auror. A real moody one at that." He barked a laugh here, and I was beginning to doubt his sanity. He leaned forward conscientiously, voice still low and private. "You want to know his motto for life?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Probably not, but go ahead." I replied cautiously.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He bellowed, voice bouncing off the prison walls. I jumped, and he started giggling madly.

"…And what does that mean?" I asked, once my pulse had settled again. "Constant vigilance?"

He stopped giggling, and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Oh, I haven't had a good laugh like that since I heard Lestrange getting punished by her master. Still grovelling to him, you know." He seemed to not have heard my question. But I let it slide.

"Lestrange? Bellatrix Lestrange?" I checked, smirking slightly. I knew she had been punished for both trying to torture me, again, and for showing weakness in public. AKA, fainting in a shop.

He nodded eagerly. "Yep, Trixie got her just-desserts. Hearing a bitch like her scream…music to my ears." He sighed wistfully.

I smirked widely at him. "Wish I could've heard that. Does she torture you, then?" Don't even know why I asked, it was insanely obvious by the look of him.

His brown eyes darkened even more. "Oh, she tries. But I'm strong, young lad. I won't let her break me, not like she did to Alice and Frank." His voice was darker, rougher.

"Who are Alice and Frank?" Obviously it wasn't just me who disliked Bellatrix. I liked the Trixie nickname, too. Might just use it some time.

He seemed a little more depressed now, and gave a long-suffering sigh. "The Longbottoms. Trixie tortured them into insanity five years ago, round about the time the young Potter boy defeated old Voldie. Brave, they were, wouldn't give up their information. Not for all the pain in the world. They live in St. Mungo's now, can't remember their own son." He seemed awfully upset about it.

I had some pity for the guy, being stuck here and all. "You shouldn't be upset. Bella is just as insane as they are. Maybe more." I paused, considering this for a moment. "Besides, they went mad by being brave. Heroes, even. They would rather go crazy than give up important information, whereas Bella went mad by being rejected by Tom too many times." I grinned at him here.

He stared at me for a moment, then grinned back. "Yes, they were very admirable. Not many can stand the curse that long. But who is this Tom fellow you speak of? I didn't think Lestrange was capable of a…_crush_." He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the end.

Dammit, I should have just said 'Master' or something. Oh well, it was done now. I wrinkled my nose too, because quite frankly, the thought of Bellatrix's little crush on Tom still made my stomach churn.

"Tom's my name for the Dark Lord." I half-lied. It was his real name, of course, but this guy didn't need to know that. I decided to change subject. "What's your name, anyway?"

He did a mini-bow where he was sitting. "Dedalus Diggle, member of the Order Of The Phoenix and full time nut-case." He reached his bloodied hand through the bar, offering it to me. I shook it carefully, in case it still hurt. Then I noticed…

"Oh my God, you have no fingernails!" I all but shouted. He just grinned. "Wow…Jesus, Bella is a _bitch_, isn't she? Doesn't that hurt?" I had heard of people in different Muggle wars getting their nails pulled off. Years ago. Thought it looked incredibly painful, but of course, that's what Bella was all about. Pain.

He shrugged easily. "It did at the time, but the one thing you can't do is give her the pleasure of hearing you scream. That's how slaves like her get their kicks."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's better to suffer in silence than give her any satisfaction." I murmured, more to myself than anything.

He nodded back, then gave a sudden, 'oh!' of realization. He began looked frantically around, eyes wide and panicking. I just sat and stared at him, feeling rather amused. The man was funny, there was no doubt about that.

He spotted what he was looking for, and painfully dragged himself backwards over to the corner of his cell. He picked something up, and slowly returned to his place in front of me. He was holding a large, purple top-hat. It was ratty and tattered, with a few good spots of both dirt and blood. But he put it on his head anyway, seemingly content as he gave a satisfied 'humph'.

"I was wondering where this went." he explained, seeing my odd expression. "Must have threw it in the corner when I was under Cruciatus." He took a brief pause, in which he studied me closely. "Why is a child like yourself in Dark Headquarters, anyway? You don't resemble any of the Death Eaters enough to be their child."

I hesitated slightly. "Um…my dad is…" I trailed off, thinking rapidly to try and come up with someone. Then, I heard a voice behind me.

"Oi! What are you doing down here, kid?" the voice shouted, coming closer. It was male. Young-ish. I turned around, surprised to see Barty Crouch JR standing there. Recognition flashed across his face. "Oh. It's you, Po-" He broke off, seeing Diggle staring at him.

I had a flash on genius. "This is Barty Crouch, Mr. Diggle. My…cousin. My parents died, and he took me in. We both live here." It was a half truth. We did both live here. Me, for obvious reasons, and Barty because he had escaped from his fathers house. He had nowhere else to live, and Tom had begrudgingly given him a room.

I gave Barty a meaningful look, and he caught on quickly. Good boy.

"…Oh, yes! I was just coming down to look for…Harrison. Come along, now, Harrison." He motioned urgently for me to join him.

"Alright. See you, Mr. Diggle." I waved at him, as I followed Barty out.

"Oh, Harrison Crouch, what an _odd_ name!" Diggle's joyful voice tittered after me. "Feel free to return, young Harrison!"

Once we went up the stone steps, and Barty slammed the door of the dungeon shut, he sighed in relief and turned to me, grinning.

"Diggle's always been a bit mad, Potter. How'd you get down there, anyway? The door was locked."

I blinked, then shrugged. "I dunno. It was open for me. Pretty snazzy place you've got going. With the right service, I'd say you could open a one star motel."

His grin turned into a smirk. "Yeah, folks are queuing up just to get in. Be careful what you say around them, though. Diggle's a member of Dumbledore's Order, and the woman who isn't mad is a Muggle-Born witch."

I nodded. "Looks like the other man has gone off the deep end." I informed him helpfully.

He made a humming noise at the back of his throat. "Yeah, that's Bella's speciality." he murmured quietly.

I couldn't help but wonder what happened to the prisoners in the end. Were they let go once Bella realized she couldn't get the information out of them? Were they killed for their insolence? If they did give information, were they rewarded with freedom?

Or just snuffed out with a flash of green light and a thud?

* * *

Took me a while to find the perfect Order member for a nutty prisoner. Diggle seemed just right, after reading his Wiki :P

Next chapter will be up soon.


	19. Festive Season

Please rate and review. :)

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

Christmas came around pretty damn fast. Snow coated the ground, although it more often than not had footsteps on it from all the people coming in and out of the house. On Christmas Eve, Tom and I were in his study. He was reading, and I was talking to Nagini.

"If a snake gets cut in half, do they grow back?" I'd heard it once in the playground, except about worms. Apparently they had two head or something. As far as I could see, Nagini only had one, but still…

She gave me the equivalent of a glare from her place on my shoulders. "Absolutely not, and you better not try to find out!" she hissed indignantly.

I smiled a little, and stroked her cool back. "Sorry, just curious. I'd heard it about worms but…"

Yeah. That was the wrong thing to say. "I am in no form related to a worm!"

"If you two are finished bickering," a cool voice cut in, before I could argue back that, yes, she was related to a worm since she had no legs. "I have some news."

We both glanced up at Tom, who had bookmarked his page and set it on the arm of his seat. "The Malfoys have invited us to spend Christmas with them." Apparently, he found this disgusting from the scrunched up look on his face. "Seems Draco can't get enough of you."

I rolled my eyes. "What can I say? I'm adorable. So, are we going?" Truth be told, I actually wanted to go. I hadn't seen Draco since Halloween, and I was getting a little bored with only adults to talk to.

Tom stared at me for a long moment, then gave a stiff nod. "If you want." Was all he said, before opening his book once more.

We left the next day, at around nine in the morning. Crazy to you, maybe, but Tom and I both had a habit of getting up early. Myself, at around six or seven in the morning. A habit I'd picked up at the Dursleys, and had yet to get rid of. Tom…well, he's Dark Lord. I guess he doesn't have time to sleep much.

Again, we Apparated. I didn't land flat on my ass at first. I landed on my feet…then my knees buckled and I fell. I was getting better at this, but not excellent. Tom still had the upper hand of laughing at me. Bastard.

We knocked on the door, which surprised me, because I expected Tom to just barge on in. Lucifer quickly answered, all eloquent looking in his midnight black robes.

"My Lord." he murmured, bowing slightly. It was, after all, his home. He looked to me. "Mr. Potter."

"Lucifer." I greeted cheerfully, as we stepped inside. There was a House-Elf standing behind him, eyes big as tennis balls and staring at Tom in awe. No. Not Tom. Me.

"Dobby will take your coa-" Lucius began, only to be cut off by a shrill squeal of excitement as the elf - Dobby - came bounding forward and wrapped itself around my legs in a hug. I automatically stiffened up.

"Harry Potter, sir! Dobby is honoured to be serving such a good wizard! But…" Dobby trailed off, letting go of my leg and staring at my company. "Why is Harry Potter, sir, being in the company of _bad wizards_?"

Lucius looked ready to murder the elf by then, and Tom had a look of cool indifference. I frowned at the creature. This was definitely nothing like the House-Elves we had. I kneeled down to eye-level with the elf, much to it's unsustainable pleasure. (It squealed in delight. Again.)

"I think the question is, Dobby," It shrieked again when I used it's name. Bloody thing was mad. "Why are _you_ in the company of bad wizards?"

Dobby stared, looking horrified with himself at the realization. "I is sorry, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby is enslaved! Dobby cannot leave!" he cried, fat rolls of tears flowing down his leathery skin.

I shook my head in mock disappointment. "I'm very disappointed in you, Dobby."

Dobby cried harder, then grabbed a nearby walking cane, much to Lucius' dismay.

"Put that down, you wretched elf!" Lucy yelled. I realized a moment too late it was Lucius' wand holder. Whether the wand was actually in there, I couldn't be sure.

"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!" the elf screamed, whacking itself over the head numerous times. I watched in morbid fascination for a few minutes, then sighed.

"Alright, alright, stop!" It stopped immediately, still sobbing. "Geez, Lucifer told you to stop ages ago." I threw it a disgusted look, then turned to Lucius. "I'm really sorry, Lucius. Was your wand…" I trailed off, and his expression lost a little of it's stoniness.

"No." he finally said, shooting the cringing Dobby a glare that promised pain. "It was in my robes."

He silently led us down to the living room, which was decorated to the brim with Christmas decoration. Riddle Manor wasn't decorated at all, Tom wasn't into the festive season all that much.

Sitting under the huge tree, surrounded by empty wrapping paper and newly opened gifts, was Draco. Narcissa was sitting in the chair next to him, looking perfectly happy just watching her son in his joy. They both glanced up when we came in, and Draco began scrambling through the mess for something. Narcissa, on the other hand, stood up formally.

"Good afternoon, My Lord." She did a small bow. "Hello, Harry." She smiled at me fondly.

I grinned back. "Hey, Cissy. Snazzy place you've got here." I glanced around for extra measure.

She nodded, beaming with pride. "I would like to think so." she remarked.

Draco found what he was looking for, and bounded over to me with a huge grin on his face and something in his arms. Something square. Something wrapped. Something with a…bow?

I was confused when he handed it to me, but slowly took it. I stared at it uncertainly, and gave him a questioning look. This had better not be some kind of prank.

"It's for you!" he exclaimed happily. "Well? Aren't you gonna open it?"

Oh. It was a gift. A Christmas gift. Jesus. I'd never actually gotten one of these before, the Dursleys were too busy with Dudley and just that little bit too hateful to give me anything.

Slowly, and hesitantly, I opened it. Inside the box was a small, golden charm bracelet. It currently only had one charm on it: a golden snitch.

"It's not just jewellery," Draco went on. "It's enchanted. If you're ever stuck, you just pinch the snitch and say the name of anyone in this family, and you'll end up in our house. Works the same for other charms, depending on who buys them for you and who they stand for. You'll have to use the spell, but Father knows it, and I think the Dark Lord does too."

I was still staring at the bracelet - my first gift. I blinked, and looked up at Draco's eager expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked, face faltering for a moment out of worry. "Don't you like it?"

Slowly, I grinned at him. "I love it." I admitted softly, fastening the bracelet on around my wrist. But…wait…

"Err…I left your present at home." I lied, lamely, shuffling my feet a little. Ok…so I hadn't gotten him anything. I hadn't even though about it, give a kid a break!

He smirked at me knowingly. "That's alright, you can bring it next day." He paused, and looked up at his father. "Father, can we go play outside?"

Lucius nodded. "Be careful, though. The ground is rather slippery." he warned, but we were gone before he could finish the sentence.

I had a lot of fun that day. We played Quidditch, had a two-man snowball fight, got lectured by Narcissa on the importance of wrapping up tight, caught a cold, and had turkey dinner.

When it got dark, we all stayed in the living room. Tom and Lucius were discussing some sort of battle strategy, I think, with Narcissa listening in. Draco and I were drawing and talking, sitting on the floor next to the fireplace.

"So," Draco said at last, reaching for a red crayon. "What was it like living with Muggles, anyway?"

I pulled a face. "Pretty crap."

"Did they smell terrible?"

I snorted back my laughter. "Nah, not really. Petunia, that's my aunt, kept the house real clean. Like a hospital ward." Like the permanent smell of disinfectant.

Draco was scribbling madly on the paper. "I was in a hospital once. Father was donating to it, and I had to be pictured beside him for the press." he explained proudly.

"Actually," I smirked at him. "You've been in hospital twice. Unless, of course, you were born in a ditch."

He looked horrified at the thought. "Malfoys have only the _finest_ medical care! Of course I wasn't born in a ditch!" He faltered for a moment, looking up pleadingly at his mother, who was watching us curiously. "Right, Mother?"

She smiled kindly at him. "No, Draco, you were not born in a ditch. You were born in St Mungo's, like most wizarding children."

Most? "Where was I born at, Cissy?" I better not have been born in a swamp somewhere, with some crazy hobo cheering me on to go towards the light.

She seemed to think for a moment. "…St Mungo's, I believe." she concluded at last.

Thank God.

* * *

I think that could have come out better, but it'll do. :) It's getting a bit difficult to get back onto the humorous streak after doing an angst chapter. Sorry.

Next chapter might take a little longer, since I'm fresh out of ideas. :O


	20. Bad Hair Day!

**Update **- Mistake is fixed! Sorry about that, and thanks for the heads up everyone :)

Yorushihe - Whereas I was already planning for Harry to be a Metamorphmagus, you gave me the idea for tutoring. Thanks so much! :D You kinda inspired the chapter, so be proud. :P

MutantKillerFrog - XD You've got a great imagination! Harry will be getting to know Diggle more, I believe. He'll be down in the dungeons again, don't worry. Harrison Crouch will probably become Harry's alter-ego, or disguise for when he's out in public or something. Not sure, yet :P

Please read and review!

Harry Potter and his little world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. I'm just a random kid who has nothing better to do. :D

* * *

I burst through the door to the main hall, eyes wide and startled. Luckily for me, the only person there was the Dark Lord. If any Death Eaters had been around, I would have been taunted for life.

"Tom! What the hell is wrong with my hair?" I shouted, gasping for breath from running too much.

He stared at me, then got up off his throne and came over. He studied me for a long minute, then a slow and unpleasant looking grin spread across his face. He let out a bark of triumphant laughter, looking genuinely pleased. For once.

"…_Well?_" I'm impatient. Sue me.

He chuckled a little more, then grinned down at me. "You're a Metamorphmagus!"

"You know I don't know what that means!" I pointed out, indignantly.

Alright, let me explain. I woke up this morning, and when I looked in the mirror…my hair was a shocking shade of pink. And it had grew about two inches. Not that it hadn't grown before, but it never actually changed colour.

"Very few wizards are Metamorphmagus's. It means you can change your appearance at will, or in your case, accidentally." he explained gleefully. I could almost see the ideas in his head of how this could help his cause. "Tell me, did anything happen to trigger this? Were you thinking of turning your hair pink?" He was clearly trying to hold back laughter here. I wish I could slap him.

I was about to yell at him in negative, but paused. "Well…I did have a dream last night. Everything in the world was _pink_." I shuddered there. Trust me, you do not want that image in your mind. It's horrible.

He grinned even wider, which seemed to stretch his already gaunt face even further. "Ok, try and turn your hair back. Just…imagine yourself with black hair again. Concentrate." he encouraged, watching me excitedly.

I blew out a puff of breath, then started concentrating on my hair turning back. I scrunched up my face a little, and I got a weird tingling feeling in my scalp. Like pins and needles, except it wasn't uncomfortable.

Tom cheered and clapped, clearly pleased with this new development. He conjured a mirror, and handed it to me. My hair was black again, but it was still hanging down my back. I concentrated again, and it grew up a little. Now it was just past my shoulders, and looked slightly ruffled.

I beamed up at Tom. "That was awesome! Can I do that, like, anytime?" I asked eagerly, handing him back the mirror.

He nodded quickly. "Yes, you would do well to train that. It's a very useful skill. Which reminds me…would you like to be trained to control your magic better?" I didn't like the glint in his eye, but answered anyway.

"What would the training involve?" If it involved being Crucio'd on a daily basis, there was no hope in hell I'd be participating.

He saw my cautious look, and shook his head. "No, not torturing." How'd he know? "Just learning to duel, and cast spells…basic things children learn at Hogwarts, except you'd be learning earlier than most."

Sounded fair enough. It's not like I had anything better to do, and I did like learning magic. "…Alright, I'll give it a go. Who'll be teaching me?"

He pondered for a moment, then smirked. "Well, I'll teach you the Mind Arts, if you'd like." he offered. Oh. Crap. "You'd definitely need them if you're going to Hogwarts. Dumbledore is an accomplished Legilimist, so he'd be able to see your every thought and memory by just looking you in the eye."

That didn't sound too good. But the thought of Tom going through my mind was…unsettling. I didn't think he would tell or anything, but you could never be sure. Plus, my thoughts were just that. Mine.

He saw my hesitation, and sighed. "If you wish, I can swear an oath of secrecy. I won't tell another soul what I see in your mind, no matter how bad it is." It was pretty bad, actually. My memories were hardly pleasant. "And I won't laugh." He better not. His grin was creepy enough.

Slowly, I gave him an unsure nod. "Ok…we can try it. Anything else?"

He nodded. " You need to learn more than just that. I'll ask Severus if he can take the time to teach you Potions, when he's not busy at Hogwarts. Barty is rather gifted in spell work, like Charms and Transfiguration. The Lestrange brothers, Rodolphus and Rabastan, are excellent Duellists. The only thing left is the Dark Arts, and the best people for that are Lucius and…" he trailed off and the horrified look on my face when I realized just who else he was going to suggest.

"Tom, you must be mad. She'll kill me!" The Unforgivable's came under Dark Arts, and Bellatrix Lestrange would have no problem demonstrating for me. Or, rather, on me.

He shook his head. "A few good Crucio's will put her in place. Besides, the Black library has more books on the Dark Arts that even the Malfoys does, and that is Bella's best area." He saw I was still uncertain. "She's sadistic, and with Lucius there to hold her back, she's the best person to learn from."

I gave a weary, defeated sigh. "Fine. But if she ends up murdering me in the first lesson, you have no one but yourself to blame." I knew I was coming across as whiney, but I honestly didn't give a fuck.

He smirked. "I'm sure I'll be dying inside. Now, your lessons will probably start on Friday. I'll tell Tinky to alert you." Alert, as in, getting her to pop in my room at the most inconvenient times and tell me to be in the meeting hall in five seconds.

Not that I didn't like the elf, of course. It was Tom who ordered her.

* * *

Dun dun dun! This is the result of a boring Saturday afternoon. Short chapter, but essential.

I totally thought Rowling should have made Harry a Metamorphmagus. He had the potential, what, with his hair growing back and all.

Next chapter will be up as soon as I write it. :P


	21. Life Lessons

Mutantkillerfrog - It definitely won't be slash, but I'm not sure about any other pairings. I think he might just be a proper little Dark Lord. No partner.

By the way, the Metamorphmagus powers Harry has is kinda the same as Tonks has. He can change his hair, eyes, facial structure…you know, pretty much his entire appearance. :P Very handy, I think.

Please review, because they make writing worthwhile. :)

None of this belongs to me.

* * *

True to his word, Tom sent Tinky popping in on Friday. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I heard a resounding pop and Tinky was standing there.

"Gah!" I yelped, grabbing a nearby towel and wrapping it hastily around my waist.

"Master wishes for Young Master to be…oh!" She covered her eyes, and turned the opposite way. "I is sorry, Young Master! But Master wants you in the meeting hall!" With that, she popped away. Yeah. You can almost bet Tom planned that out.

As soon as I was dressed and fed, I went down to the meeting hall. Tom and Barty were standing, waiting impatiently for me. Well, Tom was. Barty was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Tom nodded towards me. "First lesson is Charms with Barty." His tone was the usual business-like, calm voice he used with his Death Eaters. Minus the coldness. He paused briefly, and gave me a warning glance. "Try to behave." With that, he stalked off.

As soon as the door closed, Barty winked at me. "Don't worry, we can have a little fun. Master won't find out."

I smirked. "Don't let him hear you say that. So, what do we learn for Charms?"

Barty flicked his wand, and a small wooden table appeared between us. A white feather was resting on it.

"Most Charms professors would go into massive detail about the subject. But really, they're just handy little spells that help you in everyday life." he explained carefully. "Like the levitating charm. Just focus really hard on this feather, and will it to rise up. Say Wingardium Leviosa at the same time."

I nodded, and stared down hard at the feather. Well, maybe glared is a better word.

"Don't hurt yourself." Barty's sarcastic voice piped up. I moved the glare to him, then back to the feather.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" I shouted, pointing my finger at the feather in a threatening manner. It shot up into the air at lightening quick speed, then halted abruptly a few inches from my nose.

Barty clapped a few times, gave me encouragements…you know, the usual. That was all he was actually instructed to teach me for today, which was a bit of a waste of time, in my opinion. Still, moving onto my next lesson. Potions. Snape was back again, of course, robes billowing behind him in an overly Gothic manner. I think he used a spell for that, Tom too, though I don't know why anyone would.

He conjured up the cauldron and whatnot, and handed me a few jars of ingredients and a textbook. Told me to make a potion to cure boils. I hoped I would never need that.

"Study that textbook in your free time. It will help." he ordered me, as I started crushing the snake fangs. I felt kinda sorry for the poor snake who had it's fangs removed. How would it eat? "Now, potions can be a very useful subject. You can make potions to heal, to harm, and even to stopper death." I got the distinct feeling that he added the last part into every speech he made about Potions.

I glanced up through my bangs in interest. "Really? Wow…is that how Tom did it?" I asked, intrigued.

Severus shrugged. "Probably something more complicated than that. Now, watch how you crush the fangs. Make them too fine and they'll be virtually useless."

I nodded. "So…where do you work when your not being a Death Eater?" The question had been bugging me for a while.

Severus sighed. "I work at Hogwarts, as a Potions Professor." Well, duh. Obviously he had to do something to do with Potions, since he was so good at them.

"Are you close to Dumbledore then? And what's Hogwarts like?" I asked curiously, then added with a scowl. "All Tom ever goes on about is Slytherin and Dumbles being dumb." Ha, that was the worst pun ever.

Severus curled his lip slightly. "I am Head of Slytherin, so obviously it is a very good house." he pointed out proudly. "And the castle is quite magnificent, even if the man who runs it had gone senile."

I snorted. "Damn right. What's he like up close, anyway?" I couldn't just judge the man based on Tom's hatred of him. And the fact he left me with Muggles for a few years, even if it did bug me intensely.

"…He is very cunning, very Slytherin-like. Even though he was a Gryffindor. He acts very kind, but can be hardened if it is required. He is also mad, of course." Severus mused after a bit.

The Potion came out average-ish. I'm not excellent at Potions, but at least I didn't blow up the manor. I think I'd actually be kicked out if I did that…if I was lucky. Worst case scenario, he'd feed me to Bella.

Speaking of Bella, I'm gonna save the Dark Arts lesson for last. It will take the longest to tell, trust me.

Now, onto the duelling lesson. The Lestrange brothers were pretty rough, but they had a pretty good sense of humour. Dry and cynical, but good.

"Don't rough him up too much, Rodolphus! He's still got Bella to face!" Rabastan guffawed loudly after saying that, which gave me the opportunity to disarm him. I was using an old wand of Tom's. He says it was his uncle's or something, so it didn't matter if I broke it or blew it apart.

Rabastan stared at me in shock. "He disarmed me! That little asshole disarmed me!" he spluttered indignantly. "Rodolphus! Avenge me!" And here was me thinking this was only a warm-up duel.

"Quit whining, Rabastan!" Rodolphus snapped, as he fired hex after hex at me. Living with the Dursleys taught me one thing. How to dodge, and it came in very handy here. "You actually managed to get disarmed by a six year old!"

"Hey, this is the Boy-Who-Lived! He doesn't count as a normal six year old!" Rabastan countered, watching the duel with interest.

Rodolphus growled. "Yes, he-" His wand went flying out of his hand, and into my own.

I cheered, and jumped up and down. "I disarmed a trained Death-Eater!" I yelled gleefully, and laughed.

Rodolphus flushed an angry red, and Rabastan guffawed again. "He got you good, Rodolphus! Now, Potter, what had today's lesson taught you?" he asked, giving me a high five. Well, I had to jump to reach his hand, but you get the point.

I smirked at Rodolphus, and tossed him back his wand. "Not to get distracted by your annoying brother during a duel." I remarked.

Rabastan grinned widely. "Exactly! And, since you don't have a brother, you're pretty much safe."

I was pretty tired from that, but I still had one more lesson left. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what you have all been waiting for. The Dark Arts lesson with Bellatrix and Lucius.

"Now," Lucius started, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "The Dark Arts are not evil, no matter what many of the Light side will tell you. Any spell can be made 'dark' by it's intention. You can torture by a simple Tickling Hex, or kill with a Levitating Charm. The Dark Arts can be very difficult and dangerous to learn, but they can also be incredibly useful."

"They are also one of the most interesting genre of spells to learn." Bella added, seemingly making an effort to be nice for once. The gleam in her eyes, though, told me otherwise.

Lucius nodded along with her. "Indeed. Now, since you are a Parseltongue, you can also learn Parselmagic, another type of Dark magic. We cannot teach it to you, but I'm sure you can find a few books in this manor's library. You have a skill, do not waste it."

I nodded in agreement. "I know, I won't. So…what spells are we learning?" I didn't show it much, but I was nervous. If it was just Lucius, I'd be absolutely fine. But it wasn't, and I wouldn't.

"Hmmm…Sectumsempra." Lucius decided. "Severus made it up while he was at Hogwarts. It's a very useful Cutting Hex." How the hell could cutting ever be useful, except in the case that one had problems?

"I'll demonstrate." Bella said suddenly, and pointed her wand at me. "Sectumsempra!"

"Bella, don-" Lucius began, but it was too late.

I didn't even have time to dodge as the hex sliced my leg. It wasn't overly painful, but it did send me to my knees as I hissed in pain.

Bella cackled gleefully, clapping her hands and jumping up and down like an overgrown pre-schooler.

Lucius knelt by my side, helping me up. He sighed impatiently, as he checked my bleeding leg. "Bella, Our Lord will not be pleased." he warned her in a low voice.

Bella stopped laughing immediately, as her eyes widened. Even more like a child every moment.

* * *

I'm sorry it's been a few days, but this was insanely difficult to write. Don't ask me why.

Anyway, hope that was entertaining enough for you.

Next chapter will probably be a time skip, where Harry goes to Hogwarts. Not sure yet. Give me your opinions, please! :D


	22. New Friendships

Here it is! Chapter 22. I'm sorry it's a little late. (And short) I was on vacation for a week. Then I just got lazy. ¬_¬

I've always thought Blaise was an awesome character, who Rowling didn't develop enough. :(

Please enjoy, and read and review.

Unfortunately, Harry Potter and his world do not belong to me. Boo.

* * *

I'm pleased to say I didn't see or hear from Bella for a full week after that, bar the occasional shrill shriek of pain coming from the dungeons late at night. Tom went hard on her, I could tell. Unfortunately, he refused to let me watch. Even sent me out of the room when he was first informed of her getting curse-happy at our lesson.

The 'Mind Arts' lesson with Tom came a few days later, when he had a clear schedule for a few hours. We had the lesson in his office, which seemed to be his favourite place in the entire manor. He had given me a book on Occlumency to study, but it really didn't do much good.

"Alright, clear your mind." Tom ordered in an emotionless voice, hinting that he had already done just that.

I let my body go limp and relaxed, as I envisioned a blank and fuzzy TV screen. The screen faded to white nothingness, along with the background. I gave a short nod to Tom, telling him I was ready.

"Legilimens." Tom murmured softly, wand pointed at me.

All that relaxing did not good, 'cause my muscles tightened up as soon as the damn spell hit me. Memories flew past my eyes like a whirlwind of photographs. (The magical ones, not the motionless Muggle ones.)

I was five, and running from Ripper, Marge Dursley's dog. _Run, run, he's on my heels, faster, look, a tree, climb it…_

I had just turned six, and had apparated onto the school roof. _Squeezing, tube, can't breathe, need air, where am I…_

I was one, and wailing for my mother. _Green light, a woman falling, where's my Mumma, he hurt her…_

Then, just as suddenly as they had started, they stopped and I was laying on something cold. The floor, I think. Tom came into view as he stood over me, staring at me for a moment, before offering me his hand and helping me up.

I was breathing heavily, and felt a little dizzy.

"Well, that went well." I panted out.

Tom smiled grimly. Yes, I did just say 'smiled' and 'Tom' in the same sentence. "It is not an easy subject to learn, but it will pay off in time. Now, shall we try again?"

Before I could even try for an answer past gasping in air, he had his wand pointed at me and had muttered the spell. Again, I was thrown into my memories.

I was four, and Vernon was lashing my back with a belt. _Hurts, warm water on back, is that blood, I don't care, let me go…_

I was six, and meeting Tom for the first time. _Weird eyes, he looks familiar, what's he holding, he took the gun…_

Again, they stopped abruptly and I was laying down again. I got myself up this time, as Tom made to approach. I sighed, and prepared myself for another trip down memory lane.

But let's get to more…pleasant topics that those head-aching lessons. Surprisingly enough, Arstella Zabini, who was a newer Death Eater, (Joined a few years back) well, she had a son! Lucius sometimes brings Draco along when he comes for Death Eater meetings. Draco hangs out with me, of course, he isn't allowed in the meetings any more than I am. Artstella ended up having to bring her son, Blaise, with her one day. Something about having no current husband to look after him.

Zabini JR and Draco were already acquainted, friends of a sort, I suppose you could say. So he introduced me during one of the meetings in late Febuary, while we were out on the grounds.

"Harry, this is Blaise Zabini. He's Arstella Zabini's son."

I stared at the boy. He was a little taller than me, but not too much. He was black, to be blunt, with bright blue eyes and the coolest dread-locks I had ever seen. Of course, I rarely ever saw anyone with dread-locks, but you get my point. They were shoulder-length, with a few random silver beads at the ends.

I stared at him for a moment, neither of us making any move to shake the others hand, before turning to Draco.

"I thought you were racist!" I pointed out.

He blinked. "…Err…what?"

"Racist. You know, 'cause Death Eaters are a lot like Nazi's." I explained patiently.

He frowned at me. "What are Nazi's?"

I sighed. Patience gone. "Oh, for the love of God. Don't wizard's teach their kids anything? No, not if it's Muggle…alright, Nazi's are like the Muggle's version of Death Eaters. They didn't like Jewish people, coloured people, I think travellers and…well, basically anyone who didn't fit into their picture. They wanted to purify, I guess. Like Death Eaters do."

Both boys frowned at me. "Who led them?" Blaise asked, voice slightly accented, but not much.

"Hitler." I replied promptly. "Kind of the Muggle version of Tom, I guess."

Draco pondered for a moment. "Who was the Muggle version of my father?" he asked, slightly interested in my drabble.

"I dunno…" I grinned suddenly. "Hitler's wife, maybe?"

Draco sent me a withering glare. "I'm telling Father you said that." he threatened.

I smirked. "You do that. So, to get this clear, you're not racist?"

He shook his head. "Only towards filthy Mudbloods." He sneered as he said the word.

"Good enough." I allowed. I turned to Blaise, and nodded to him. "Nice to meet-cha. I'm Harry."

Blaise nodded, eyes flickering to my forehead for a bear second, before going back to my face again. "I think I figured that out beforehand." He gave me an odd look. "I know I shouldn't ask, but why are you living here anyway?"

I shrugged, giving him a cocky grin. "Nowhere else to go. I'm an orphan, you see."

He rolled his eyes. "Duh. Everyone knows that. You should hear Draco go on about you, honestly, almost every time I see him he has something new to say-"

_"I do not!" _Draco interrupted shrilly. "Only sometimes, and because you ask!"

Blaise give him an exasperated look. "I asked once, Draco, and I was being sarcastic."

"Well maybe if you put more emotion into your voice I'd understand that!"

I just stood and watched them, smirking as I realized this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

Heh. I clear my mind by envisioning a TV with no signal. :P I guess it'd work for Mind Arts as well.

I hope the Hitler comments didn't insult anyone, because that would suck. :(

Next chapter will be up soon, I hope.


	23. The Prophecy

You've all been asking for a longer chapter, and I was gonna put the outcome to this into the same chapter, but decided against it. The ending of this chapter is a pretty good cliffhanger, and this was definately fun to write!

They needed to do this some time, right? I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and reviews are very much loved. :)

Harry Potter and all related canon characters do not belong to me.

* * *

You've all heard of the prophecy, right? Between Tom and I? Well, he seemed pretty interested in getting it, so tonight we were going to break into the Ministry and steal it!

Kinda cliché, to be honest. I figured Lucius could've just waltzed in and taken it during the day, since he usually hung about the Ministry. But I didn't say that. No way I was passing up a chance for some action.

Tom told me to change my looks using my Metamorphmagus powers, but he forgot to put down some ground-rules. Not that I would have listened to them, though. I made my hair electric blue and tied it in pigtails 'cause I knew it would annoy everyone. I made my eyes neon pink, and changed my facial features to match those of Link from the Zelda games. Elfish human-like.

Tom was pretty pissed, said it would attract unwanted attention, but I wouldn't change it back so he had to just huff and put up with it. He had most of his Inner-Circle coming with us, for God knows what reason. Barty, who was grinning and laughing and my appearance, the Lestrange twins (Rabastan was hopping from foot to foot in excitement, and Rodolphus was standing next to Bella, who looked as sour as ever) and Nott, who basically just looked calm as stone. Lucius was waiting for us at the Ministry, and Nagini had pretty much insisted on seeing me off. She was draped over my shoulder, fussing and saiying I wasn't trained enough to defend myself. Ah well. You only live once.

Tom heard her, through, and seemed to think about this. I watched him warily. There was no way he wouldn't let me go…right? Finally, he seemed to make his mind up, and turned to me.

"You still have the bracelet the Malfoy heir gave you, correct?" he requested, crimson eyes flickering to my wrist.

I nodded, and held up my hand, where the bracelet was dangling off.

"Give it to me a moment." he ordered, taking out his wand.

I gave him a funny look, but complied and unclasped it, handing it over to him. The Death Eaters looked on curiously.

Tom appeared to think for a moment, then flicked his wand and a new charm appeared on the golden bracelet. I peered at it closely, and bit back a smile when I realized it was a small, golden snake. It had two deep green emeralds for eyes, and looked pretty smashing.

Tom muttered a few words in Latin or something, and the bracelet glowed for a moment before settling down. He handed it back to me, and I fastened it onto my wrist again.

"If something happens to go wrong, just hold onto the charm and say 'Riddle Manor'. You'll be transported back here." he explained in a bored tone.

I nodded, and smirked at Nagini, who seemed satisfied enough. Though she still grumbled a little more about me being untrained, but I didn't care. With one final good-luck to both Tom and I, she slithered off my shoulders.

Unfortunately, we had to Apparate to the Ministry, which totally sucked (Heh, a cheesy pun, right?) and left me feeling queasy and dizzy. I didn't throw up, luckily. We got into the Ministry using a Muggle telephone box, and let me tell you, that was one hell of a squeeze.

"Please state your names and business." a polite woman's voice requested through the phone.

"Lord Voldemort, taking a prophecy." Tom drawled, and seven little clip-on buttons came out where the change was meant to appear. My button read:

Harry Potter, Theft.

Awesome. So, the Ministry is underground, and the phone-box seemed to act like an elevator, which I thought was wicked.

"Crouch, get your bloody elbow out of my stomach." Bellatrix hissed at Barty, since we were all pretty squished.

"I can't move, you crazy old bat!" Barty argued back, and true to his word, he was pressed up firmly against the window at the side.

"Why is it every time we come on a mission, you two have to argue" Nott asked in exasperation, sighing and trying to move himself into a more comfortable position. It didn't work.

Rabastan sighed too, and rolled his eyes heaven-wards. "Why didn't we just split ourselves into two groups and take turns coming down?" he quizzed no one in particular, squeezed in between Barty and Bella as they argued with each other.

Bella stopped and gasped, turning furiously on Rabastan. "Are you questioning our Lord?" she whispered in anger, face almost touching his since she couldn't exactly move.

Luckily, right then the elevator stopped and the doors opened. We all spilled out, and I was damn glad to be out of it. Claustrophobia, y'know?

Lucius was waiting in the corridor, dressed in his usual silk shirt and black pants, and he came towards us.

"C'hello, Lucy!" I chirped happily, and he smirked and me and gave me a nod of greeting.

"Harry. Pleasant trip down?" he asked, motioning towards the furiously arguing Bella and Rabastan, both of whom looked ready to brawl right there and then.

I snorted. "If that's what you call pleasant, I pity you. Are they always like this on missions?"

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Usually." He then turned to an impatient Tom, who was eyeing the arguing duo disdainfully. "Everything is ready, my Lord. The Auror's have been taken care of and the Hall of Prophecies has been unlocked."

Tom gave a single nod. "Lead the way, Lucius." he instructed, then turned to the group. "Bella! Rabastan! Be quiet!"

They both fell silent immediately, and muttered their apologies. Tom just glared at them, then stalked off after Lucius as he led us to the Hall of Prophecies.

I fell into step with Barty, who seemed pretty at ease considering we were breaking into the Ministry. "Why the pigtails?" he asked, grinning broadly as he flicked one of them.

I shrugged. "It annoyed Tom, didn't it?" I pointed out cheerfully.

Perhaps a little loud, through. "I heard that!" Tom shouted from the front of the group, and Barty started chuckling.

"You know, things have definitely brightened up around here since you arrived." Barty commented casually.

"Hmm, really? What was it like before?" A lot of these Death Eaters seemed like completes arses, still.

Barty mock-shuddered. "Well, for one thing the big boss dude was handing out Crucio's like crazy." he whispered dramatically, and I'm guessing 'the big boss dude' was Tom. I wasn't that surprised, he still tortured them frequently, anyway. "And it wasn't as fun. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, killing Mudbloods as all that, but besides the random argument, people were pretty co-operative. And let me tell you, co-operation sucks ass."

I laughed at him. "So I'm fun because I don't listen to anyone?" I asked sarcastically.

He grinned and nodded. "Pretty much. Last person who outright disobeyed the Dark Lord got killed on the spot, and they didn't even tease him like you do. Dunno how you get away with it, but it's pretty damn sweet that you can."

I smirked. "Privileges of being the Boy-Who-Lived."

He snorted. "Ain't that the truth."

By now we were in the middle of a massive corridor, with dozens of doors on each side. Each looked different, and strange. Which one was the Hall of Prophecies?

Lucius seemed to know his way around here perfectly, though, which was no surprise considering how much time he spent in this dump. He went to a completely ordinary looking black door, which I would never have guessed. That was probably the point, though. He went through, and we all followed.

The room was freezing cold, like a stone castle with absolutely no furniture. Each footstep echoed loudly, and the shelves were all filled with glass orbs of all different sizes. Some were completely huge, while others were no bigger than a baseball. I'd hate to fall into one of the shelves, 'cause they looked pretty unstable.

Lucius paused and looked around for a moment, before nodding to himself and walking in one of the rows. I glanced at the side of the shelf on the way by, and saw it had the year '1980' written on the side. Guess that was how they arranged all these orbs, then.

We kept walking a little, and I turned to Rabastan. "Are these the prophecies?" I half-whispered, since no one else was really talking much.

He nodded. "Every orb contains a prophecy. If you touch one that isn't your own, you'll go mad. So keep your hands to yourself unless you're told otherwise." Like I'd want to turn into Bellatrix II, anyway.

Lucius stopped, as did the rest of the group. He was looking directly at a medium sized orb, and I saw it had a worn label attached to the side. The label read:

_'S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D_

_Dark Lord and_

_(?)_

_Harry Potter'_

Looks like this was our stop. Tom stepped forward and studied the prophecy for a moment, before turning to me.

"Harry, come here." he commanded quietly, but I could tell he was excited to finally hear the whole thing. I just wanted to get it over with.

I walked forward, and looked up at him.

"First of all, change your looks back. I don't know what way these orbs work, but I'm not taking any chances of having an insane child on my hands." he ordered. I scowled, but changed my looks back to what I normally looked like. He smirked, then went serious again.

"We have to both touch it at the same time. Put your hand above it, like this." he demonstrated, hovering his own hand a little above it. I did the same at the side. "On the count of three, put your hand on it. Don't take your hand off until it's finished, you understand?"

I nodded. "Yeah. M'not dumb, Tom." I pointed out, something I shouldn't have had to do.

I heard someone in the group, I think it was Rodolphus, snort and mutter, "So he thinks…"

"Ok, one…two…" Tom started counting softly. "Three."

We both very nearly slammed our hands onto it at the same time, and immediately it began glowing a magnificent white. A miniture woman rose out of the orb in some sort of mist. My first thought was that she looked like a circus-freak, then she started talking in a raspy voice and I stopped thinking and started listening.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"_

That much we had both heard before. Now came the rest of the prophecy, and I could practically feel the glee radiating off Tom.

"_...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._"

Oh. Shit.

That was unexpected, and it showed on both of our faces. Not to mention on the faces of the rest of the group. The mist disappeared, the light died down like a lamp being switched off, and it became an ordinary orb once more. I raised my wide eyes to look at Tom, and he looked completely stunned. What was he going to do? Would he kill me? Well, why wouldn't he? Apparently, one of us was destined to kill the other. He knew as well as I did I couldn't kill him, even if I had this so-called 'power'.

Never mind the fact he was ten times stronger than I, and a full-grown wizard, but I wouldn't have killed him if I had the power of Merlin himself. He was my friend, dammit, as strange and wrong as it sounds. Friends don't kill each other. Whether he felt the same way, though, was another question entirely.

As these thoughts passed through my mind, he seemed much too tall, and I wished, not for the first time, that I would hit my growth-spurt. I swallowed, but my throat was dry, and I took my hand off the lifeless orb. What the hell could I do? He hadn't said anything yet, no one had, and I couldn't get out of here if I tried. I didn't even know my way to the door of this room, never mind the bloody elevator!

I could use the bracelet to transport back, but to where? My only choices were Riddle Manor and Malfoy Manor. I'd have a bit of a chance at Malfoy Manor, but they could easily apparate there and I really wouldn't get far. Not to mention, Draco was probably asleep right now.

I chanced a look around the group. Lucius looked was staring at me, face calm but eyes sad. Bellatrix looked openly gleeful, and Nott was completely emotionless. No surprise there. Rabastan looked gutted, and Rodolphus seemed just that little bit regretful, to my surprise. But Barty surprised me even more.

He didn't look sad, or even slightly unhappy. He gave me a look of uttermost confidence, and mouthed, 'You'll be fine.'

Fine? How the hell could I be fine? I looked back at Tom again, and the shock had disappeared from his face. His hand was off the orb now, and he was tilting his head as he stared at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance. There were several pops, and we were surrounded by Aurors.

* * *

Oooh, what'll happen next? I know this is a complete rip-off of the way canon-Harry got the prophecy in OOTP, but I'd like to think it's that little bit origional. Not. :P

How did the Order find out there were there? (Yes, the red-robes guys are all Aurors who are members of the Order) Well, Dumbles has a spy, right? Snape is still unsure of his loyalties, and he overheard this during a meeting. He told Dumbledore, because come on. He knows that knowlege of the prophecy is dangerous on Harry's behalf. Order got there late, but they still got there.

I know I said Hogwarts was gonna be a few chapters ago (whoops!), but there are a few things I wanna do first. So yeah. I have no idea when Hogwarts will be. I do, however, think Dumbledore will see Harry in the next chapter. What do yo think, reader? Should he, or should he not see Harry?


	24. Live Or Die?

Spoony285 - Ron will def. not be a friend. Not sure about Hermione, but probably not. You've got a lot of ideas, heh. Thanks for the imput. Luna will be a friend, of course, when she comes to Hogwarts. If Harry does have a girlfriend, then Luna is a possibility. I've always thought she's ten times better than *shudder* Ginny.

Peppymint - *Snickers* I would have loved to have used that.

Thank you for all the reviews, they mean a lot. :D

I had this written days ago, but I had to edit it and add in some things. Be warned, it isn't funny. Just dramatic and such. Please enjoy, and review.

Harry Potter and his world does not belong to me.

* * *

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at them. I knew who they were from the red robes, and apparently so did the others. Everyone had their wands out in an instant, and I felt dumb when I realized I didn't have one on me.

"Step away from the prophecy, Voldemort." one of the Auror's ordered gruffly. He was incredibly creepy looking. His face was horrifically scarred, and he had some sort of glass eye that spun wildly in it's place. His hair was a frizzy mess of chestnut, and he actually had a wooden leg. Like some sick version of a Muggle pirate.

Tom smirked coldly at the man. "Not likely, Moody." he shot back, and fired off a sickly yellow spell at him. That started the rest of them off, and curses were soon flying through the air.

Looking around my own group, I realized Barty was gravitating towards me while half-duelling an Auror. Panicking, I tried to think straight. If an Auror didn't kill me, a Death Eater might. Screw staying around, I turned on my heel and sprinted.

I heard Tom yell out, "Shit!" which was always a bad sign. Tom never cursed. That just provoked me to run faster, even though I had no idea where I was going.

"Harry!" Barty shouted after me, but then deadpanned, "Oh fuck." There was the sound of breaking glass, and I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around.

Both Aurors and Death Eaters were running towards me. The reason? Well, it was a pretty dumb idea to start duelling in the middle of this place, with it's unstable shelves full of glass. A wayward spell must have hit one of said shelves, and the were falling in. The orbs fell and shattered in the ground in synch with each other, and the tidal wave of prophecies was getting closer.

The group was starting to rush past me now, I was caught in the middle. I snapped out of my staring and starting running again. Surrounded on either side by both the Dark and Light, I was pretty screwed. One Auror, a man with blonde hair and brown eyes, happened to glance at me while running at my side. The sprinting had made my fringe blow up, and he caught sight of my scar. Gasping, he stopped dead in his tracks. No one stopped to drag him on, and last I heard of him was his screams as the glass smashed onto him.

We kept going, and eventually burst through a large wooden door at the end of the hall. The last person through, an Auror, slammed it behind him and we heard a few prophecies hitting the other side of it.

We were all gasping for breath, but both sides started firing curses again quickly. I ducked under them, and tried to find the opposite side of the room. Surely there'd be another door?

I reached the middle, and saw some sort of archway standing atop a platform. It had small strips of rotted black fabric for some sort of curtain, and they were fluttering in time to some unknown wind. I stared at it in fascination, zoning out from the battle around me. There seemed to be…voices coming from it. Whispers.

I felt drawn to this strange discovery. I stepped up onto the platform, leaning closer to hear. They were all hissing and whispering together, getting so loud it was impossible to tell them apart. I tried to focus on one voice, and caught a bare snippet of a woman's voice.

"…don't touch the veil, Harry…" it sighed, voice soft and familiar. Why not? It was only a silly archway. Wasn't even a veil, just ripped black stuff. I wanted to touch it. This voice couldn't control me, I'd touch it if I wanted.

"…Touch it, boy…join us…" another voice whispered, male and rough, but very persuasive.

In a daze-like state, I reached out with my index finger to touch the black material, when a voice shouted, "No!"

I was grabbed roughly around my torso from behind, and dragged off the platform as I tried to kick out at my attacker.

"Let me go!" I snapped moodily, and the person put me down, but spun me around by the arm and didn't let go in case I would try to move.

Barty. Typical. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, holding onto my arm in a death-grip.

I tried to squirm away from him, but it didn't work. "None of your God-damn business! Let me go, Barty!"

He growled in frustration. "No, I will not let you go! Do you know what would have happened if you had touched that! You would have died!"

I let out a bitter bark of laughter. "Yeah, that'd be a real shame! I'm gonna die anyway, don't you get that?" Honestly, sometimes I thought the dude was just stupid.

He stared at me for a moment, before looking pretty damn angry. "He is looking for you, Harry! He told me to find you, because he's not going to-" Barty didn't get to finish his sentence. I shoved into his stomach while he wasn't expecting it, and he stumbled back. Taking my chance, I spotted an opening beside one of the stone pillars on the far left wall, and ran towards it.

With my terrible luck, I got hit with a wayward curse. I hissed in pain, grabbing my arm as blood seeped through my robes. Of course. Sectumsempra. The same one Trixie used on my leg, except it was worse. I stumbled a little, but ran on, clutching my arm.

I ended up in a very long, and very wide corridor. There were perhaps hundreds of fireplaces on either side, and in the distance I could see a large tapestry sort of portrait of an important looking man.

I realized I still looked like…well, me. I couldn't let anyone else see me, I mean, look what happened to the Auror who recognized me. Dead. I felt a little guilty, but not much. He shouldn't have stopped. I concentrated hard, and changed my appearance as best I could without a mirror. Brown eyes, red hair, tanner skin. Pretty much reversing my features. Now I had my mother's hair, and my father's eyes.

I slowed to a walk, and stopped beside one of the fireplaces. I'd seen people use the Floo Network before. Crabbe managed it, surely it couldn't be that difficult?

I heard footsteps approaching, then stop beside me. I turned around. Tom was standing with his arms folded, glaring down at me. I involuntarily took a step back. He blew out a sharp, frustrated breath, and appeared like he was about to say something, but was interrupted yet again. This time, by a voice from behind him.

"Good evening, Tom." an elderly voice greeted calmly. I glanced around Tom slightly, and my eyes widened. Dumbledore. Of all the bloody people to come, it had to be Albus fucking Dumbledore.

"Stay here and don't move." Tom hissed in Parseltongue, quietly casting a quick Disillusion charm. I recognized it from Barty's class. I really had not choice but to comply. After all, both of the men in this room were far too powerful for me to even begin to escape.

Tom turned and walked into the centre of the floor, across from the other man. "Dumbledore," he sneered, inclining his head slightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Dumbledore looked at him gravely. "I take it you have heard the prophecy?" he asked quietly. Tom just smirked. "How did you get it?"

Tom seemed very smug. "Have you never heard the Muggle phrase, 'A good magician never reveals his secrets'?" he taunted, wand in hand and ready to fight.

Dumbledore's eyes sparked for a moment, before dimming down again. "I was under the impression you had abandoned all Muggle senses long ago, Tom."

Tom's smirk widened. "Know thy enemy." He quoted. He then paused for a moment, before raising his wand. "Thorn ex terra!"

Thorn-covered vines burst from the ground around Dumbledore, trying to both attack and wrap around him. Dumbledore slashed his wand several times, muttered under his breath, and the thorns caught fire and turned to ash. That started the duel.

They seemed to use the worst spells they could think of, a lot of them involving the elements. Water, fire, earth, and wind. Then both light and dark spells, and the Unforgivables (from Tom). Basically anything to win. I just stood completely frozen, watching them, mesmerised. But, then a stray spell came my way. It was completely black, with a glowing green around the edges. I had to duck, and that cancelled the charm.

As the Floo behind exploded noisily, Dumbledore caught sight of me jumping back from it. Luckily, I was still under my Metamorphmagus disguise, but he still looked burningly curious. Quick as a flash, Tom fired another spell at him, then backed over to me. I was surrounded by rubble, it's not like I could move.

"Step away from the child, Tom." Dumbledore ordered, eyes burning holes in my head. I wouldn't meet his eye. I knew he could read my mind easily, since I wasn't all that good at Occulemancy yet.

Tom smirked at him. "I don't think so, Dumbledore. What could you possibly want with him?"

Dumbledore gazed at Tom coldly. "To help him. It is beyond cruel to kidnap and use a mere boy." he stated, oblivious to my scowl at him. Cruel? This was coming from the man who left me at the Dursleys. Dumbledore took out his wand, and began to advance slowly on us.

Quick as a flash, Tom grabbed me and held me in front of him, one arm holding me across the chest and under the arms (Much to my relief, it didn't hurt my wound as much), and the other pointing his wand at my throat.

"Take one step closer and I kill the boy." he threatened coldly, and I took a sharp intake of breath. Dumbledore halted in his tracks, wand still held out in front of him uselessly.

I was breathing heavily now, seriously scared for my life, and I risked a glance up. Tom was smiling at Dumbledore, but it was a horrible, ugly smile that looked wrong both on his face and in this situation. There was no warmth in it, and his eyes were glazed and clouded. This wasn't Tom. This was Lord Voldemort. And I was completely doomed.

Crap.

I turned my face to the ground in hopelessness. I felt tears of betrayal well up in my eyes, and didn't even bother to try and stop them. Who cared? I was a goner, anyway.

"What do you want, Tom?" Dumbledore sighed, looking almost defeated. I guess he couldn't really do anything. I mean, if he moved, I was dead, and he knew he couldn't just willingly sentence a kid to death.

"From you? Nothing. I'll be leaving now, Albus, and I do think I'll take Potter with me." Oh, no. No, no, no, no…

I didn't have time to think much beyond that before I felt that familiar sucking sensation, and we apparated to Dumbledore's ironic shout of, "No!" as his eyes widened in realization.

We landed, and as soon as he let go I fell to my knees. I refused to sob or plead with him. I could cry, of course, but I wouldn't sob pitifully or beg for my life. I wouldn't sink that low. I slowly got to my feet , and raised my tear streaked face to send Tom a glare that held both betrayal and fear. I was breathing heavily, but I could bet that soon I wouldn't be breathing at all.

He stood in front of me, before sighing heavily and getting down on his hunches in front of me, at eye-level. At first I was wondering what the hell he was doing, until he started talking.

"Harry, I'm not going to kill you." he explained gently. Of all the things to-…wait….what?

I swallowed thickly. "Y-You said wizard prophecies always come true." I pointed out in a quiet voice.

He nodded. "In some form, yes, they do. I'm sure we can find a way around the prophecy, they're tricky in that way. Besides, we've both been living for six years." He smirked. "We've managed that ok, right?"

I sniffed and nodded, rubbing at my eyes. I had to cry. Of all things, I had to bloody cry. Embarrassing much? "I guess so…" I mumbled.

"And would you ever kill me?" he prompted.

I gave him an incredulous look. "Of course not!" I insisted.

He looked satisfied. "Then I shall not kill you. Works both ways, Harry." He eyed the wound I got from the stray curse. "Ah. Nott was casting Sectumsempra like mad."

He then took out his wand, and proceeded to heal the cut on my arm. Funny. In all this drama, I had completely forgot about it.

* * *

What? You didn't really think Tom would kill Harry, did yah?

I'm not gonna make Dumbledore unrealistically evil. Just manipulative, and senile.

This ending is a second draft. The first draft had no (admittedly bad) duelling scene, and had Harry hugging Tom at the end. (Le gasp, how original! Not) I thought it was both too soon, and too cheesy. So I changed it.

I know I stole some stuff from OOTP. Like going over to the Veil, and the prophecy shelves collapsing (Seriously, are they dumb?). Hopefully it wasn't too canon-similar.

Thorn ex terra = Thorn from earth.

Next chapter will hopefully be a lot funnier. Stay tuned :P


	25. Ralph?

Wolfmasterz - Probably the same wand. I'm not sure yet.

Kamorie - Lol, not sentimental at all. I got so sad writing it *Is ashamed* Tom said that on purpose, to mess with Dumbledore's head. Unfortunately, if I got through with the plotline I'm thinking of, it'll backfire. Doh!

Books-A-Plenty - *Grins* I'm getting pickier with my chapters. This update's quick, though, so enjoy. :P

Samara Marx - Harry will not irrationally hate all Gryffindors. (That'd make him worse than Ron with the Slytherins!) It's quite silly when people do that, I agree. Of course a few of them he won't like, because honestly, some of them are just plain dumb. But some of the definite ones he will like are, for example, the Weasley Twins, and Neville. (Always loved that little guy)

Cally Chloe - Oh, how I love long reviews. :P Thank you very much! I won't give much away (I've done too much of that already in this A/N) but I will say you're correct on some of your 'What-If's'.

Harry Potter and friends do not belong to me. J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros and whoever else owns this little franchise.

Please read, and of course, review. :D This chapter is short, but I updated fast, so don't eat me.

* * *

**Harry Potter Alive? You-Know-Who Strikes Again!**

**After the recent return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Wizarding World has been in havoc. We were all wondering the same thing: just where is our Savoir?**

**A week ago, You-Know-Who and his followers attacked the Ministry Of Magic. They were apparently looking for a Prophecy, concerning You-Know-Who and the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. After Potter's disappearance from his relatives home several months ago, in which his Muggle guardians were found dead, and the child traumatized, the Wizarding World feared the worst. Especially after The Daily Prophet revealed that blood that was confirmed to be Harry Potter's was found in the kitchen.**

**Albus Dumbledore has revealed that not only is our Savoir alive, but also that he is being held prisoner by the Dark Lord himself. The Headmaster of Hogwarts, and defeater of Dark Lord Grindelwald, had this to say:**

_**"Unfortunately, I can confirm that young Harry Potter has indeed been kidnapped and held captive by Lord V*******t. Whereas Mr. Potter was alive when I saw him, he was under disguise, probably forced on him, and looked terrified. He was openly crying. I cannot imagine what terrors V*******t must be inflicting on the boy, but we are doing our best to rescue him. I would urge anyone who has any information on his whereabouts to contact me immediately. If anyone sees Harry in public, take him to Hogwarts straight away. You may just save his life."**_

**We at the Daily Prophet give our condolences to friends of the Potter family, including one Sirius Black. Since Mr. Black was found innocent of all crimes recently, and given parole, he is no longer on the run from the Ministry. Black is Harry's godfather, and we can only imagine what he must be feeling right now. We wish the Ministry the best of luck finding our young Savoir, and our prayers are with Harry Potter, wherever he may be.**

**Article by Rita Skeeter**

That, my friends, is from the Daily Prophet's front page. I questioned Tom long and hard about Sirius Black, and he told me that Black was innocent. Peter Pettigrew, a Death Eater I had yet to meet, (Tom called him a 'pathetic mess') turned traitor. I don't think I'll like him very much when we do meet. He doesn't live here like the other hiding Death Eaters, 'cause Tom won't give him a room. He said that he told Pettigrew his Animagus form is a rat, so he could find a nice gutter to sleep in. Pleasant.

I finally got bored enough to risk a trip into Little Hangleton the next week. Tom made me disguise myself, since Dumbledore knew I was alive now. I decided to have a little fun, as I always do with my transforming.

"Hey Tom, what colour were your eyes before they turned…umm, red." I asked, staring at myself in a mirror I had made him transfigure.

"Brown. Why?" he asked, glancing up from his parchment.

I looked up at him, giving him his own smirk. I had changed my appearance to look like what I imagine he looked like age six and three quarters. Admittedly, I didn't have to change much. Sharper face, neater hair, different eye colour.

He blinked. "That's…very creepy." he pointed out, looking a little disturbed. "You're getting better at your Metamorphmagus transformations, though, so kudos." Yeah. He was mocking me there. I could tell.

I stuck out my tongue at him. "You're just jealous because I can pull off your look better than you." Then I fled the room before he could hex me.

I passed the graveyard on the way to the town, and was surprised to see a Tom Riddle buried here. Senior, though. Don't worry, Tom isn't dead yet. The grave was pretty wrecked, it was clear no one bothered to visit anymore. Tom told me he killed his father, and enjoyed every moment of it. I said I could perfectly imagine him axing down the door of the house and grinning, "Here's Tommy!" Needless to say, he didn't get it.

I went on down, and passed a rundown shack of a house. I felt magic trying to push me away, and remembered Tom warning me not to go into the wrecked cottage. I turned and ran into the town.

It was a modern little village, with various grocery shops and joined houses. I went into one of the newsagents, which was basically deserted bar an old lady trying to decide between full-fat milk or semi-skimmed. There was a brown-haired teenage girl behind the counter, blowing bubbles with her gum and flicking through a fashion magazine that looked like the ones Petunia used to read, but never buy from.

I wanted chocolate, I decided. Wizard chocolate was great and all, but it could never compare to Dairy Milk. Then I realized I had no money. I couldn't just steal it, and I didn't really want to use magic. I eyed the old lady, who still hadn't made that all important decision between the milk. Putting on my most pitiable face, I shuffled over to her.

"Excuse me, ma'am." I said in a quiet, hesitant voice.

She glanced up from the milk, and smiled at me warmly. Obviously a grandmother, then. "Hello, dear." she greeted me in a friendly tone. "My, aren't you a cute child!"

I nodded, eyes glued to the floor. "I-I really want a chocolate bar, but I have no money…" I trailed off shyly, glancing at her. She looked sympathetic.

"Oh, poor dear. I know what a chocolate craving feels like." she said, nodding understandingly. "Didn't your parents give you any pocket money?"

My lower lip trembled slightly. "M-My Mummy and Daddy are dead, miss." I confessed sadly, and if possible, her pitying look ten folded.

"Oh! I'm so sorry dear…here, let me just…" She reached into her purse, and pulled out a five pound note. "Treat yourself, dearie, you deserve it."

I sent her my most charming smile. "That you, miss!" I chirped gratefully, earning me another warm smile. I practically skipped over to the candy counter, and took a few chocolate bars. Hell, I wasn't going to be down here for a while. May as well stock up.

I was about to go back home again, satisfied grin on my face and chocolate bars in hand, (Stupidly, I had refused a bag) I saw a group of kids who looked about 8-10 years old gathered around something on the ground. Curiously, I made my way over.

I peeked around the tallest girl, and saw why they were all so mesmerised looking. Laying on the ground was some sort of bird. It was jet-black, with a sprinkle of blindingly white feathers on it's top layer. It had strangely violet eyes, and when it caught my own eyes, it burst into purple flames. Startled, we all jumped back. Merlin, I had just killed a bird by _looking_ at it! That doesn't help a guys self-esteem much.

The flames cleared away, and a shrivelled looking baby bird was laying among the ashes of the last bird. I stuffed my hand-luggage the pockets of my robes, (Tom never said I had to dress Muggle, right?) and picked it up. There was some weird sort of magic thrumming around me. It was amazingly strong, and soothing. But it soon died down, and the bird starting trilling a beautiful lullaby that had everyone staring at it in dumb awe. As soon as the song died away, I could thinks straight again.

I knew what this was. It was a Phoenix, I'd read about them in the manor's crazy library books. They burst into flames, and begin life anew. They never really die until they are no longer needed on earth. Humming to myself, I looked at it.

"You wanna come home with me?" I offered, and it trilled in agreement.

I turned to go, when one of the group, (A boy with baby-blue eyes) snapped out of his staring. "Hey, you can't just take that bird! We saw him first, didn't we guys?" The other two girls made noises of agreement.

I turned back to them with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm. I suppose you did." I made eye contact with all of them, and waved my hand. "Obliviate." They all looked like they were in a state of shock. "You didn't see a boy or a bird today. You just continued with whatever you were doing. Ok?" They nodded numbly. I smirked, and turned on my heel to head back home. I was surprised the spell actually worked without destroying their minds. Or did it…ah well, not my problem.

"So," I said casually to the Phoenix in my arms. "You need a name, huh?"

A trill. I take that as a yes.

"How about…Ralph?"

An indignant squawk. I glanced down, and I swear the bird was glaring at me.

"Ok, ok! Not Ralph. How about…umm…Casper?"

Silence. Then a loud and happy trill. Guess that was a yes, though I truly didn't see anything wrong with the name Ralph. Unless…

"Say…are you a boy or a girl?"

It nipped me on the finger, but not hard. That was the end of that subject, then. I chatted on and on with the bird until we got home. I made my way to Tom's study to show him.

"-And I told MacNair, if you think you can kill a Lernean Hydra, then you're even more insane than-" I stopped short, and grinned at the man seated at the desk. "Oh, hey Tom! Look at what I found in town!" I plopped myself down on my usual seat across from him, and set Casper on the desk. She trilled at him.

Tom stared from the bird to me, then back again. "…How in the bloody hell did you manage to find a_ Phoenix_ in the middle of a _Muggle_ town?" he finally questioned me.

I grinned. "I dunno! Some kids were crowding around her, and she went on…fire when I came over." I still hadn't gotten over that major dent in my ego.

Tom peered at Casper curiously. "Hmm. Phoenix's seek out the wizard's they bond with. My guess is that she was trying to find you, since you were in the village. But it was a Burning Day. So she had to stop." Ah. So it wasn't just me, then.

"Wait…bonded? You mean like-" I was rudely interrupted.

"As a familiar, yes. I can tell by your aura. It's in sync with hers now. Most wizard's don't get bonded with familiar's until they are older, if ever. Yours seems to have found you early, though." He gave me a dry but piercing look. "Congratulations, brat."

I smirked. "Is someone jealous?" I taunted.

He sneered at me. "Not likely. I prefer snakes over birds. The only thing that concerns me is the fact that it is a Phoenix, of all things."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked suspiciously.

"Phoenix's generally come to those who, at some point, will need the extra help." he explained slowly. "Dumbledore has one, and he's Leader of the Light. Never mind the fact it has come to you so early."

Oh. Well, that made having a Phoenix slightly less…fun. "So…what do you think I'll need the extra help with?" I asked, feeding Casper a bit of chocolate, which she gladly nibbled on.

Tom shrugged. "I'm not a seer." he answered simply, but I got the feeling he knew more than he was letting on.

* * *

Lernean Hydra = Mythical Greek creature. If my sources are correct, it has seven heads. One is immortal. If you chop off any of the others, another head grows back. Info is from Wiki. :P

Heh. A Phoenix. Not original, I know, but I love those little birds. At first I was going to give Harry a dog. A Rottwiler, actually. Then I thought, no, that won't work. Then I thought about a snake, but Voldemort already had Nagini, why need two snakes in the story? So, Phoenix it was. What do you think? Good or bad?

And yes, for you Sirius fans who are reading this, Sirius Black is released from Azkaban! Early. I have always got the feeling, ever since I read POA, that Dumbledore put Sirius in Azkaban on purpose. I mean, who the hell cast the Fidelius Charm anyway? Wouldn't they need a very powerful wizard to do it? *Pokes Dumbledore* Also, Dumbles was part of the Wizgammot (SP?) and he could have easily asked for a simple trial. If canon-Harry had lived with Sirius his whole life, he wouldn't have been dependant on Dumbledore. Therefore, he may not have sacrificed himself for the Greater Good.

Well. Now that my rant is over, the bottom line is, Sirius went on the run when he read Harry was thought to be dead. Got parole, is a free man now, and is an active member of the Order. Whoopie.

Next chapter will be up soon. Here's a question for you readers. I have an idea for the next chapter. Would it severely piss anyone off if Snape went traitor to the dark? (As in, stopped being spy and just stayed with Dumbledore?) If so, I can easily alter the plot. Please review and tell me. =)


	26. We're Under Attack!

Since the majority of you wanted Snape not to turn traitor, which I do agree upon when I went into a lot of thought about it, he is still a spy. This is why I ask these kind of things. I write for the reader. (And Sev makes a good Death Eater, just saying :D)

Oncelostnowfound - Ha, I've seen the show. While it is in it, I didn't intend to copy it. It's just something I say, and decided to add in. :P

Caz - Once thing I have worried about is making Harry a Gary-Stu (or in this case, Harry-Stu. Heh...I know, bad pun) As I stated at the end of my last chapter, I was thinking of giving Harry a non-magical dog. But then I figured, it'd be crapping all around the manor since not many six year olds can train dogs and I doubt Tom would help him. Tom would get fed up with it slobbering all over him, and he'd AK it, and Harry wouldn't forgive him. Ruining the fun relationship. Or, at least, that's how it played out in my mind. So, I went against it. I'll try to make Harry more...flawed, if that helps matters. I doubt it'll be easy, though, he's already too smart for his age.

Cally Chloe - He really does think Harry is being help prisoner. All signs pointed to it, and he had to give the public some form of hope. While I enjoy an evil, manipulative Dumbledore fic, I like making him more realistic. He isn't a Dark Lord, but he does certain things for the Greater Good that aren't good at all (Like leaving poor Harry with nasty Muggles, or my whole rant about Sirius) He's manipulative, but in this case he just had the wrong impression.

Arya19 - *Cringe* In my house, we were discussing getting another dog. I suggested a Rottwhiler, and my parents gave me the glare I would imagine you gave the computer screen while writing that review XD I kinda tuned out while they were talking and I thought, 'Hmm...what if Harry had a Rottwhiler?' Hey, at least I didn't go with it!

Since this took longer than usual, at least it's longer!

Harry Potter, his world, and related canon characters do not belong to me.

Please read, and review!

* * *

**(I'm going to do Severus Snape's POV for this scene. Don't worry, this won't be a regular thing and Harry will be back very soon.)**

I sneered around the table. I was utterly surrounded by these Order Of The Phoenix idiots, and it was suffocating. The meeting were always held in the ancestral home of the recently pardoned Sirius Black. Bloody bastard was very smug about that particular feat. Although, five and a half years in the hellhole that was Azkaban had clearly taken their toll on the man. His eyes were dull and haunted, and his skin still had that waxy feature to it. Still, I didn't pity him. Why would I? He held no sympathy for me in our school years.

Albus Dumbledore stood at the head of the table, and everyone immediately went silent. As much as the man irritates me, I have to admit, it is an admirable trait to have people quieten as soon as you stood. Only my younger students did that, and it was nowhere near as satisfying.

Dumbledore looked grave, as he usually did these days. But it was worse tonight. "I trust you have all heard the recent news concerning young Harry Potter?" His eyes lacked their usual twinkle.

There was a sudden outburst of shouting from most of the members at once.

"…Poor child, only six and he's in the clutches of that madman!" Molly Weasley cried out in anguish. Never liked that woman. All she seems to do for the Order is cook.

"…Goodness knows what their doing to him, Albus…" Minerva McGonagall shouted, Scottish accent thick with sorrow. She was sitting to my left, so it was particularly loud. Enough to almost make me wince. Almost.

"…Doubt the boy will be the same, if we get him back alive…" Alastor Moody grunted, magical eye swivelling madly. That thing always unnerved me slightly. How did he manage to lose his real eye?

I was surprised Sirius Black stayed silent and staring blankly ahead.

Dumbledore sighed, and held up a hand. At once, everyone fell silent under the wandless Silenco charm. Again, grudgingly admirable.

"It is tragic, of course, but I'm afraid I must question one of you. Severus, were you not aware that the boy was there?" Albus asked severely, shooting Severus a piercing look. "Did Lord Voldemort-" Everyone flinched. "Never offer to let you torture him? He knows you and James did not get along."

I held his gaze for a moment, thinking and also strengthening my Occulemency barriers. You could never be too careful around Dumbledore. Should I tell him the truth? Potter didn't seem to be in any danger. The Dark Lord had even asked me to heal him when he had first brought the boy in. He told me that Potter's relatives were abusive. How did Dumbledore let that go on? Was he even aware? Did he never check up on him? But what would become of the child if he grew up to be a Death Eater? Would he truly be happier as a servant, or as a puppet for the Light? I didn't know. Was it better to be branded for life, or manipulated into dying?

In the end, I settled on half-truths until I could figure out which was best for Lily's child.

"I was not aware until recently that Potter was in the Dark Lords…care." Even now, I still found it unnerving that the Dark Lord had yet to kill the child.

Albus had yet to let up on me. "Did you know before they appeared at the Ministry?"

I paused for a moment, then decided to just go with what the Dark Lord ordered him to do. Let their imaginations rule them. Claim to know nothing.

"The Dark Lord's trust in me has been wavering lately. I only became aware the boy was there when he announced he was going to steal the prophecy, and was taking the boy with him."

Albus stared at me hard for another long moment, before nodding stiffly. "Alright, Severus. But you do understand that we must get the boy to safety as soon as possible?"

Safety? He wasn't in the dungeons. He had a room, and food, and clothes, and seemed incredibly cheerful when I met him. Hell, he even reminded me of…Lily. If it wasn't for the Potter-like appearance, I might think I was beginning to like the child. Which was, of course, ridiculous. I didn't like children. I barely liked Draco, and he was my godson.

While I was thinking this, I just gave him a curt nod. Albus seemed satisfied.

"That's good. Now, would you prefer to stay here or assist us?" he asked, smiling slightly with the familiar annoying-though-comforting twinkle returning to his eyes. I was not the only one giving him a questioning look.

"What do you mean, Headmaster?" I asked slowly, not liking where this was going.

His smile widened. "I mean we are going to rescue young Harry, of course." I vaguely heard Molly Weasley collapse into relieved tears on down the table. How stupid. The boy was not even close to being rescued yet.

"How do you intend to do that, Professor?" Remus Lupin, the bloody werewolf, asked in his usual soft voice. There was glint of hope in his amber eyes.

Dumbledore met everyone's eye. "Finding the Dark Headquarters will be easy. I have a good idea of where they are located. The difficult part, however, will be both breaking down the wards that keep it invisible and protected, and finding Harry. He will undoubtedly be in bad shape, and it is probable that we may lose some of our numbers in this mission." He paused, gauging everyone's reaction. They ranged from determination, hope, worry and blood-lust. "If any of you are willing to assist, please speak up now so we can plan this."

"I'll be damned if I miss this." Auror Shacklebolt quipped, smiling wryly.

"Could use a good fight…" Moody mused, looking vaguely excited to get some action. That man loved his job too much.

"And, of course, I can hear better than most." Lupin pointed out, looking more hopeful than ever.

"I suppose I can keep watch." Elphias Doge said grudgingly.

A hoarse voice spoke up last. "I'm coming too, Dumbledore." I glanced over to see Sirius Black raising his eyes from the table and giving Dumbledore a look of pure defiance and determination. It was the first time Black had actually spoken this entire meeting. Usually he never shut his big mouth.

Dumbledore smiled at him, and nodded slightly. "I wouldn't leave you out of this, Sirius. Now, Harry will most likely be in the dungeons. Once you get in, search the cells. If you see any other prisoners, take them here. Dedalus Diggle is still imprisoned, we must rescue him as well."

"Albus…he's been in there a while." Minerva spoke up hesitantly.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Dedalus is one of the strongest men I know. Do not fret, he will be alive."

They began discussing the mission's strategy around me. And, not for the first time, I felt trapped.

**(Back to Harry's POV!)**

I was being shaken.

_"Harry…"_

Shaken harder.

_"Harry…"_

Ok, pretty much shoved now.

"WAKE UP!"

I jolted away with a cry, shooting up in bed and almost knocking over the dark figure that loomed over me. The angry red eyes slowly came into focus. Ah. Tom.

"Take whatever you need and come on." he hissed, standing up straight again and stepping back.

"…Huh?" Lame reply. But he was making no sense.

He gave an impatient sigh. "The manor is being attacked. The wards are failing, so we are moving base."

Moving base was like moving house. And everyone knew moving house sucked. I noticed the array of House-Elves marching by my open door, all carrying various books or files. A lot of those elves weren't even ours, because we only had a few. I caught sight of the Malfoy's elf, Dobby, walking past. Apparently, he saw me too, because he tried to wave and ended up dropping the pile of books he was carrying.

"Harry Potter, sir!" he called out happily. I waved slightly, then sat of the edge of my bed.

"Are we moving forever?" I asked curiously, getting up and pulling on my robes over my pyjamas.

Tom shrugged. "If we can get the wards strengthened, then we'll come back here. If not, we have to move location." Well. That definitely sucked.

I picked up everything I absolutely needed to keep. My barely-filled photo album, Tom's uncles wand (Which was mine until I turned eleven), and my shrunken broomstick, which was in the same little velvet bag I bought it with. Casper trilled loudly, and flew onto my shoulder. I smiled slightly at her.

"Ready." I chirped to Tom.

He nodded. "Use your bracelet to go to Malfoy Manor." he instructed, turning to go out the door. "Lucius already said it would be fine."

I pinched the bracelet, then thought of something. "Wait, aren't you coming?" I questioned him, frowning.

He glanced back, face unreadable. "I will be right behind you. I just have to take care of something first." Then he left, shutting the door behind him.

Well, looks like I didn't have any other choice. Shrugging, I pinched the snitch charm and muttered, "Draco Malfoy's Home!"

There was a weird feeling in my ears, like when you're underwater and everything sounds muffled. Then, everything went white, and when it cleared away I was standing in the front hallway of Malfoy Manor. Well, at least I didn't pop right into the living room. That'd be rude.

I noticed the various House-Elves walked past me, carrying stuff from Riddle Manor. A few popped in every couple of moments, then I heard voices coming from the living room. Cautiously, I approached and peeked in around the door.

It seemed everyone who lived in the manor had been instructed to come here. Lucius was sitting in the armchair, and Narcissa was sitting on the arm of it. Barty was in the opposite chair, talking to them quietly about something. Bellatrix and Rudolphus, who sometimes stayed at the manor after a raid, were sitting in two of the other chairs. Casper trilled, giving me away. Everyone looked up, and of course, there were mixed reactions. Narcissa, traditionally, was one of the more welcome.

"Harry, do come in." she encouraged, standing up and walking over to me. She seemed to search me over, like some sort of health inspection. "No problems getting here?"

I shook my head, ignoring Bella glare at me. "Nope. Thanks for letting me come." I added, grinning up at her.

She led me by the arm over to beside the fireplace. "Nonsense, we wouldn't have left you to those Light idiots." She paused, then seemed to notice Casper, who was staring at her intently. "My, it is true. A Phoenix. What is this gorgeous birds name?"

I sat down on the floor next to Barty, leaning against the side of his chair and beside the fire. He grinned down at me, which I returned. "Her name's Casper. She loves compliments." Casper fluttered her wings. Show off. "And what do you mean, the 'Light idiots'? Are they the ones attacking the manor?" I had thought it was some sort of Ninja-Mafia gang. Huh. Guess that's what being yelled awake at 3 AM does to you.

I vaguely heard Bella mutter, 'Stupid, Muggle name for a bird', and Rudolphus snort on his laughter. Lucius was the one who answered me, as Casper took off from my shoulder in offence, to settle on the top of a bookshelf on the far end of the room. If looks could kill, Bella would be dead a hundred times over.

"Yes, Dumbledore seems to have set up a 'rescue mission' for you." he remarked, smirking in dark amusement.

I laughed a little. "Well, that was dumb of him." A thought struck me. "Was that why Tom was staying behind?" Was he going to fight Dumbledore? Or was he going to take more stuff from the manor?

Barty blinked and frowned. "The Dark Lord stayed behind? Why?" he quizzed no one in particular, staring into the fire. Why indeed. I mimicked Barty in his brooding fire stare, and Narcissa seemed to notice.

"Don't fret. He was probably just taking some files from his office." she soothed, although I don't know if she was talking to Barty, or me, or both of us. "Now, Harry, would you like something to drink? Some hot chocolate, maybe?" There's a first. I'd never actually been offered hot chocolate before, funnily enough.

I turned my head back to her, and nodded. "Yes, please, Cissa."

She opened her mouth, presumably to call a House-Elf, then seemed to realize they were all busy. Shrugging slightly, she stood. "I suppose I shall have to make it myself. Oh, well. Mother Black didn't teach us for nothing." With that, she strode to the kitchen. At least she wasn't helpless without her House-Elves.

We were all quietly thinking for a moment, and were interrupted by a small voice at the door. "Father? Why is our house filled with elves?"

I glanced up. Draco was standing awkwardly in the doorway, in his (Yep, you guessed it) green silk pyjamas. I grinned and waved to him. He looked surprised, and more awake, as he confusedly waved back.

"Harry? What's going on?" he asked, walking into the room and standing beside his fathers chair for a moment.

"The Dark Lord's manor has been attacked by Dumbledore." Lucius explained in a monotone to his son. "The manors occupants had to come here. Unfortunately, that included Mr. Potter." He sneered slightly at the end.

"Oh, Lucius. When will you learn that you love me deep down?" I asked mockingly, as Draco sat down on the floor next to me.

"Draco!" Bella gasped, aghast, as she stood up, grabbed Draco by the arm and practically dragged him away from me. "Don't associate with such filth!"

Draco tried to wretch out of her grip, but it was too tight. "But Harry's my friend!" he protested, scowling up at her.

"He's a half-blood!" Bella hissed. "And you are above him!"

Lucius send Bella a cold look. "Do _not_ man-handle my child, Bella. Let him go." he ordered her icily, glaring daggers at the crazy bitch.

Bella glared back, but reluctantly let go of Draco. "You stay here, though." she warned him lowly, and he sent me a desperate look.

"He will go where he pleases, Bella." Lucius snapped, losing his temper.

"Who will go where they please?" Narcissa asked curiously, as she entered the room. "Oh, Draco! Did the House-Elves wake you? Here's your hot chocolate Harry," She handed me the steaming mug. "Wait, why are you two so far apart?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What happened?"

"Bella doesn't want Draco to talk to half-bloods like me." I piped up helpfully, sipping my drink and preparing for the fun that was undoubtedly about to unfold.

Narcissa rounded on Bellatrix. "Bella, you have no right to decide who my child talks to!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell her." Lucius interjected, still glaring at Bella.

"Cissa, he's a half-blood! Do you want your child to turn into a blood-traitor?" Bella seemed horrified by the very thought.

"He has magical blood in him, Bella! And if talking to him makes my son a blood-traitor, then so be it!" Narcissa snapped back.

_"Cissa!"_

Meanwhile, I was coming up with a practically evil plan. I smirked, and motioned for a confused looking Draco to come over. Slowly, he crawled over to me and sat directly in front of me.

"You wanna piss Trixie off?" I offered mischievously, almost bouncing in anticipation.

"Trixie…oh, you mean Aunt Bella! I don't know…I guess so. Mother seems very angry with her. Father too." he admitted hesitantly. "What are you going to do?"

Mentally, I cheered. "You mean what are we going to do, Draco. And what we are going to do is become blood brothers!" I whispered excitedly.

He blinked. "What's that?" Oh, silly purebloods.

I rolled my eyes. "It's where we both mix blood. It doesn't hurt, a lot of Muggle's do it." Then a knife was floating in front of my face. No…not floating. Barty was holding it in front of me, grinning widely.

"You're going to need a blade to get the blood, Harry." he pointed out, looking gleeful at the prospect of watching Bella go nuts.

I grinned widely at him. "Cheers." I tipped an imaginary hat at him, as he leaned back in his chair to watch, then turned back to Draco. "Now, are you in?"

Draco seemed to think it over for a moment, and the expression of concentration looked kinda funny on his face. Finally, he looked back at me. "Will it make me half-blood?" he asked hesitantly, watching me carefully in case I would do something over-dramatic, like burst into tears.

I gave him an 'oh-please-you're-so-shallow' look. "No." I finally replied pointedly. "And it won't make me pureblood either." I cut off the question he was undoubtedly about to ask. He looked sheepish after that, giving me an apologetic smile. "But Bellatrix won't know that. So, are you in or not?"

He barely hesitated, and nodded.

Good. "Alright, hold out you hand, palm up." He did so. Quick as a flash, I swiped the blade across his palm. He hissed in pain, but I didn't even make it all that deep. I swiftly did the same to my own hand, then grabbed his and pressed them together.

"There!" I said, satisfied, as I removed my hand ten seconds later. "Now we're blood-brothers!" I glanced over at the still bickering sisters, and whistled for their attention. They stopped, turned and stared at me. "Hey, Bellabitch! Look, Draco and I mixed blood!"

I had barely finished the sentence before she let out a very audible gasp, and whipped out her wand. "You made my nephew a half-blood!" she shrieked, as Narcissa moved over to heal Draco's wound. Casper flew over from her perch for me, and started crying into my own palm, effectively healing it.

I grinned cockily at Bella, and didn't bother to correct her. She looked murderous, and probably would've fired off a very nasty and fatal hex at me if it wasn't for the sound of someone Apparating into the hallway. She quickly put her wand away, probably knowing who it was, but was sending me a glare that could melt glaciers.

There were footsteps, and Tom walked into the room, arms full of a bunch of files. There was a lot of blood on his robes (and some on the files), but besides that he looked fine, if not tired.

Everyone ('cept me) murmured either 'Master' or 'My Lord' out of respect. I whistled lowly, staring at his bloodies robes.

"You've got ketchup on your robes, Tom." I pointed out in mock-innocence, as Barty kindly gave up his chair for the man. Tom gave me a weary smirk, and almost collapsed into the seat, if he wasn't too composed for that.

"Lucius, I trust the elves have brought the filing cabinets?" he asked, tone suggesting that they better have or there'd be intense pain for someone. Lucius nodded calmly, obviously used to Tom's intimidating act. "File these papers in the Ministry folder, year 1982, F-J. And these, in the Phoenix folder, year 1979..."

You get the point. He had to rescue his important files, with information I probably wouldn't understand and currently couldn't careless about. I watched as Tom took out his wand, and started to heal the rather large gash on his chest. It had cut right through his robes, and was still oozing blood. My guess would be that it was the Diffindo spell, and it looked very close to his main vein. I had never actually thought you could use it on people, but I guess I was wrong. After all, Light people probably wouldn't use a curse like Sectumsempra.

He caught me staring, and rolled his eyes. "Don't look so astonished, brat, this is what happens when you duel with Dumbledore."

I blinked. I didn't think I was that obvious. "Dumbledore did that?" I asked, having a hard time keeping the surprise out of my voice.

"Evidently," he replied dryly. "Do you think any another wizard could possibly injure me?"

I cleared my throat importantly, causing him to scowl dangerously.

"Do not remind me." he growled.

I grinned widely. "You're never gonna live that down." I said in a sing-song voice, then hurried on at his murderous glare. "…But, back to Dumbledore! I thought he was the Leader of the Light."

Tom still looking angry, but gave a stiff nod. "He is. And? Should that mean he does not use offensive spells?"

I shrugged. "I would've expected him to use defensive spells to try and tire you out, or to set a good example for those guys in his little club."

Tom snorted, anger almost gone but still lingering slightly. "Whereas he does have a 'good' image to keep up, none of his 'club' were there. They were looking for you." He sneered here. "Dumbledore would only ever resort to the Dark Arts if it was necessary, like if he needed to use the Killing Curse. He just twisted a basic Neutral spell, and used it to harm. I daresay if he had used a stronger and darker spell, like Sectumsempra, my entire throat would be slashed open. But he didn't, and that is his weakness."

I turned away from him and processed this information. Because of a fault, probably a lapse of concentration, Tom had left his upper torso unguarded. Dumbledore had taken the chance and hexed him. If he had used a Dark spell, Tom could very well be dead from blood loss. The Light side would have won and I would probably be in Dumbledore's care, or some other Light puppet.

I felt immensely relieved that Albus Dumbledore had morals.

* * *

Ah. I feel very satisfied with this chapter :) Something about the idea of drinking hot chocolate in a room full of Death Eaters makes me smile. :)

I could've made Harry and Draco mixing their blood somehow magical, like making them real brothers and changing their appearances and such. But I didn't, simply because it's a Muggle thing and it's more fun that way.

I had no idea Elphias Doge even existed, never mind that he was in the Order! Ah well, he's got a spot in my story anyway.


	27. Sally's Not Evil

ZoeyAndStarkForever - Hmmm...I'm not entirely sure yet. I love Sirius, and he's very devoted to his godson. Though, I can't really see him joining the Dark, and theres no way Harry'll join the Light. Maybe Harry could convince him that Tom's not so bad? I may have a plan for Sirius had Hogwarts. (Not gonna say more than that on that subject :)) Perhaps...they'll be on opposite sides, but still be pretty much friendly? It can happen, in fact, I intend for it to happen with quite a few people. Not every friend has to be Dark too, right?

...I just got carried away there :P Hope it answered any questions, anyway, though.

BlackRose - Nah, he isn't gonna do the same with Tom. Can you see Voldie letting anyone cut him? He'd go mad!

Farwalker - They didn't clean out the dungeons, unfortunately. But...*Pokes story below* Read and find out about your other question.

MourningStar - Nah, Tom didn't get Dumbledore. No matter how awesomely powerful Tom is, Dumbledore has about 70 years more experience than him. That's why Tom fears him, after all.

None of this belongs to me, and please review because they make me smile. :)

* * *

I stared up at the massive castle in front of me with wide eyes.

"…You lived in a regular sized Muggle house when you had this?" I asked incredulously.

Tom scowled down at me. "Believe it or not, brat, this is an historical site. I wouldn't move someone as havoc-wrecking as you into here unless I absolutely had to." He glared. Boy, he's just full of emotions today. "Besides, I've hardly had the time lately to think about moving base." I suppose being Dark Lord would be a busy job. Even more so lately.

We stayed at Malfoy Manor for two days, then today we moved into the castle in front of us. It's Slytherin Castle, for those of you who are wondering. Each heir of Slytherin inherits the castle, and when they come of age, they are told the location of it by some weird snake that drops by. I don't know, Tom didn't go into detail.

There's a lot of rooms in Slytherin Castle, so Tom gave me free rein to pick one. I ended up with one on the top of the East Tower, 'cause it's so high up and it has a balcony that I can jump off with my broom then pull up sharply before I hit the ground. I can get why Muggle go free-falling now. The thrill is awesome.

Also, it turns out Dedalus Diggle was rescued in the attack. Alive. Severus came earlier today to say that he was awake and recovering, and that he was questioned about a child in the cells. He said there was none held prisoner, but he did meet a 'cheerful chap named Harrison Crouch'. Now Dumbledore is suspicious, but the wards around Slytherin Castle are amazing strong. They actually have to blindfold new prisoners, or anyone who doesn't bear the Dark Mark, to allow them to enter the place. That doesn't count for me, though, since I'm an Heir and the wards automatically accept me. I'm _speshul._

I met Salazar Slytherin, by the war. The portrait, though, since the real guy died ages ago. Let me tell you, the dude is nuts! But pretty good conversation. I was just wandering around, exploring the castle (did I mention how big it was? Very)

There were quite a few portraits of different people, but Slytherin was the first to actually talk to me, instead of about me.

"A child in my castle?" I heard a voice to the right comment curiously. "Who are you, boy?"

I turned around to him with a raised eyebrow. He looked rather like Tom, funnily enough. Dark hair, except his was a lot longer and hanging loose. Tall, even though he was sitting in a throne-like chair. I think he had an ego-problem. Pale skin, a dark goatee and these really weird coloured eyes. Like, a dark and wicked shade of green. Darker than my own.

"I'm Harry. Who're you?" I asked, feeling more than seeing all the portraits around us go quiet and stare.

He barked out a rough laugh. Like a dog. Funny, I would've expected his laugh to resemble a snake. Oh well. "I am Salazar Slytherin, boy! Wait…" He paused, and stared at me for a long moment, before smirking in a very triumphant way. "You are an Heir!"

I blinked a few times. "How'd you figure that out?" All he did was stare at me in a very uncomfortable way.

His smirk grew. "I can tell by your aura. You've got Slytherin blood in you. So, the Gaunt heir decided to have a child?" He narrowed his eyes slightly at me in concentration. "You do look rather like him, you know."

I looked at him in confusion. "…My father was Potter, Mr. Slytherin. Whose this Gaunt guy?" Gaunt…sounded ill…

Slytherin frowned. "Potter? That's Gryffindor's line." His eyes widened. "You must be a double heir!"

I shrugged casually. "Triple heir, but really, who's counting? And who is the Gaunt guy?"

He shook his head as if to clear it. "Gaunt. Or Riddle. I myself prefer the pureblood name, Riddle sounds awful." Riddle sounded better than _Gaunt_, in my opinion. "He's my Heir, although I assumed he was your father." He looked disappointed for a moment, before it cleared up.

Wait…Riddle was Tom's second name. And if that wasn't pureblood, then that meant Tom was half-blood! Huh. Well, I guess that explained a lot. Like why he hated Muggles. But onto the bigger problems…father?

"Tom's not my father, you silly Slytherin!" I laughed. He glared at me calling him 'silly'. "He's my friend. I'm just err…living here."

He looked puzzled. "But the blood, boy! You are an Heir! How is that? Was your mother an Heiress?"

I shook my head. "She was a Heiress, alright. But not of Slytherin. She was from Ravenclaw's squib line." He curled his lip in a disgusted sneer at the word 'squib'.

"Hmph. Triple heir. And to Rowena, no less. But how on earth are you of Slytherin blood? Even magical adoption cannot do that." I suppose I better answer him before he wets himself.

…I wonder what he would do I said that out loud?

Nah. Better not risk it. "Well, Tom kinda…putpartofhissoulinme." I rushed out. It took Slytherin a moment to comprehend what I said, then his eyes widened.

"So…he really did make the Horcruxes…" he breathed. "And a human one, no less. My, my. This is certainly new. Tell me, can you speak?"

I gave him a funny look. "What do you think I've been doing for the past…oh. _Yes_." I hissed out the end in Parseltongue, to the mans delight.

"_Ah, it is always good to have another speaker!" _he hissed, switching to Parseltongue now that he knew I could speak it. _"I tell you, though, you could certainly pass of for a son of his. Probably the Horcrux at work, though. Tell me, have you tried Parselmagic yet?"_

Now that I thought of it, I hadn't even tried any books of Parselmagic. I shook my head slowly. _"Not yet. Do you know any?"_

He snorted, and switched back to English_. _"I did create it, you know. Silly child." He was mocking me with the 'silly' comment. Who knew Salazar Slytherin could be such an ass? "You shouldn't waste your gift, you know. Parselmagic is very strong. You say any spell in Parseltongue, and it strengthens it ten times. Not to mention, other can't understand what you're saying, or what you're throwing their way until it's too late."

"That's all there is to Parselmagic? Just hissing a normal spell?" How disappointing…

He glared at me for even thinking that. "Of course not! There are certain spells, very old, very powerful and very, very dark that can only be cast by a Parseltongue. Some I created, some my Heir's have created." He paused, and stared at me silently for a while, seemingly assessing my. I think I passed. "Would you like to learn some?"

Well, that's what he said. His tone, though, seemed to imply that I better want to learn some, or he'd come right out of that portrait and strangle me.

I gave a meek nod, and he smirked. "Good. Let me think…the safest one for a child of your age would probably be…" He trailed off, pondering for a minute. "Alright. I want you to imagine there is an enemy standing next to you. Picture anyone you don't like." I frowned, then glanced at the spot next to me. I imagined Vernon was there, leering down at me. "Now, concentrate on the element of water. Don't look so confused, the elements are all around us. You just need to tame them." I tried to imagine water floating around me, which was rather difficult. I closed my eyes, and it became easier. "Yes, that's it. Now, put all your anger at this person into the element. Don't break your concentration, and repeat after me in Parseltongue. 'Aquarus Serpentis."

_"Aquarus Serpentis."_ I hissed softly, focusing all my anger on the imaginary Vernon beside me. There was a strange feeling in my magical core, a tingling feeling that flowed outwards, and the sound of a slow crack going through glass beside me. I peeked open my eyes, then turned and gaped at the sight.

There was dozens of rather large looking snakes slithering around, biting into the air where I imagined Vernon. Some were actually floating, but they seemed to be slithering over the imaginary Vernon, judging by the shape of which the snakes moved. It was amazing looking. If anyone was there, they'd certainly be dead from the bites. And, even more, the snakes were made of solid ice. Not even water.

I turned a questioning eye on Slytherin, who looked quite pleased. "They don't look like water." I pointed out sadly.

Slytherin chuckled darkly. "You have a lot of anger in you, boy. Ice is frozen water. You put all of your anger into that, and it made the element freeze because you had too much. Thus…the considerably more powerful, ice snakes." At my awed look, he smirked. "The Dark Arts are banned for a reason. They thrive on negative emotions that we all have, like anger or angst. The Light Arts, however, thrive on positive emotions, like happiness and compassion. You'll find that very few people actually practice the Light spells these days. I'm talking about ones such as the Patronus Spell. It's about the only one they teach young witches and wizards, since most Light Arts died out centuries ago with the magical folk who managed to get caught and burned. The Dark Arts stayed, because the practisers killed any Muggles who caught them. The rest of the spells taught in schools are purely neutral, requiring no emotion and mostly just will."

I can see why Tom liked this guy so much. He was very wise. Now that I thought of it, why wasn't there more Light spells? He was right, the only spell I could think of that used emotions was the Patronus Spell. Besides that, the basic spells taught to British wizards were neutral. Not to mention, very few of them would actually help you if you were in trouble. Lucius had told me all about the Defense Against Dark Arts classes in Hogwarts, and it didn't sound like the students were getting trained very well. Even though they were in the middle of a war. Stupefy worked well enough, but it doesn't actually hurt the opponent. What if you missed? You're dead.

I shook myself out of my thoughts, and glanced back up at Slytherin. "Thanks, Mr. Slytherin. Do you know if this castle has any books on Parselmagic?"

He nodded. "The library has a few. Only Parseltongues can read them, so don't bother showing them to any friends." He gave me a once over. "You need any help with it, come see me. I did, after all, invent it." He sounded smug at the end.

I grinned. "Will do. See ya, Sally!" I turned heel and ran to the sound of him shouting at me about massacring his name.

Salazar Slytherin, evil? Yeah, right.

* * *

This chapter was more for covering Parselmagic and a new base than the humour, for those who are wondering. ;)

The 'Aquarus Serpentis' spell is just gibberish-y stuff I made up, since the Latin translator sucks and refuses to admit that there is such thing as 'snake' or 'serpent' in Latin. *Glowers*

I'm thinking next chapter will be the start of Hogwarts, mainly because I feel like doing a time skip. And because there isn't much else to do at home.

Why didn't Tom move to Slytherin Castle before? Because I just invented it. :D Plothole, probably, but ah well.

On a different subject, did you know that Dumbledore can understand Parseltongue, but not speak it? The hell? What, can he fly now too? …Probably. I think that means he's related to Tom, though. In some form.

Next chapter will hopefully be up sooner than this. Heh. Or not. Schools starting soon, y'know?


	28. Bang, Bang, You're Dead

I started this chapter last night, and I just couldn't stop. :P So, here you go. A quick update before my school starts again *sobs*

Mask With A Truth - You've got me curious. Why not? I'm not entirely sure which house I'm putting him in yet, but I'm leaning very heavily towards Slytherin.

Dhh - I think it's even more 'oh so cliché' for Harry to hate all Light people. I mean, all of his friends don't have to be Dark, right? Even so, a few of them might switch to the Dark side simply because they knew Harry and the Dark beliefs at an early age. And no, Harry is not going to be a weak, pathetic mess that bursts into tears every five seconds at age fifteen! I hate that. It makes for a boring, cringe-worthy read because you spend most of the story thinking, 'Oh God, he's going to cry again.'

None of this belongs to me. A review would be lovely :D

Hopefully this makes up for the short, not all that satisfying (for me, anyway) last chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**(Time skip! Harry has just turned eleven in this chapter. They grow up so fast…)**

"Bang! Bang!" I shouted, pointing my finger at the other boy in a gun-like fashion. "No-o, Draco, you're dead!"

Draco blew out a frustrated breath. "Why can't we use wands instead of guns?" he complained.

"'Cause I can't make the bang sound with wands! Now die!"

"You didn't shoot-"

I slowly raised my imaginary gun to point directly at him. "Hasta la vista," I winked. "Baby. BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Draco did an exaggerated act of clutching his chest, rolling his eyes up into his head and making a weird choking sound. He paused for a moment, and glanced at the ground. "Harry, these are my good robes…Mother'll kill me…" he said hesitantly, sending his preoccupied mother a worried look. I glared at him, and he sighed. He let his knees buckle and crumpled to the ground, grimacing as he lay in the middle of the street.

Lucius rounded furiously on him, dragging him up by the arm and straightening him. "You're in public, boys! Have some dignity and stop acting like children!" he hissed at us.

I put on my best 'wounded' face. "But Lucifer! We are children!" I protested, ignoring the looks the shoppers were giving us.

Lucius glared, and stalked away with Draco, with Narcissa at his side. Tom strolled at a leisurely pace past me, looking idly around him. "Come, boy, we don't have all day." he drawled, as I skipped up to him.

"Aren't you gonna grab my arm in a way that makes passing shoppers think that your either drunk or have anger issues?" I quizzed him innocently, clasping my hands behind my back.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, lips twitching slightly. "I am neither of those."

I burst into hysterical laughter, causing us to get even more looks. Tom hissed at me to be quiet, and I stifled the next guffaw that was threatening to erupt. "N-No…no anger issues? Tom, are you feeling alright? We can go get…get you a kitten to torture! I'm sure that'll fix you." I started laughing again behind my hand.

He harrumphed. "I am feeling just fine. The way you describe me makes me seem like some sort of evil supervillain." He was just teasing me, I understood that now.

I grinned widely. "Tom, you are an evil supervillain! I don't think they get any worse than you. Hell, if you were in a comic book, you'd be The Riddler from the Batman comics!" I almost burst out laughing again when I imagined Tom in The Riddler's green suit and bowler hat.

On a side note, I suppose I should explain to you all why I'm in a street. You see, we're in Diagon Ally! And for good reason too. I got my Hogwarts letter! Yup, I decided to go there. Tom said I could go wherever the hell I wanted as long as I gave him peace for nine months out of the year. But I decided on Hogwarts, since it's one of the only things he ever talks fondly about. Not to mention, I can't pass up a chance to piss Dumbledore off when he realizes just where I've been raised.

Revenge is very sweet.

Both Tom and I are under disguises at the moment. He simply changed his eyes back to brown (You'd be surprised how many people don't actually know what he looks like. He doesn't do photoshoots, predictably) and I morphed myself to look like a cousin of Draco's. We looked pretty much alike, except my hair was longer and tied back, and had streaks of black through it. I got lazy, and didn't change it all to platinum blonde. Sue me.

Tom and a still pissed off Lucius left us to go robe-shopping, while Narcissa went up to look at the wands. Tom said something about 'Knockturn Ally business, don't dare follow me in'. He should know me better than that. Every time we come here I go into Knockturn Ally, even after the first time. It's a pretty interesting place, even if it is a _little_ dangerous.

While Draco was over looking at the dress robes (Why?), I got measured for mine. I glanced to my left, seeing a rather plump looking boy glanced at me nervously out of the corner of his eye.

"Hello!" I said cheerfully, causing him to startle a little. "Are you for Hogwarts as well?"

He shifted anxiously. "I err…yes. I-I am." he stammered. Didn't people ever talk to him?

I frowned. "You're right, that was a pretty obvious question. Why else would you be getting measured for Hogwarts robes?" I thought aloud, smacking myself on the forehead. "Never mind. What house do you think you'll be in?"

He thought for a moment. "Umm…I'm not sure. I'm more c-clumsy that cunning, so Slytherin's out. And I'm not very bright, either. Or brave. So…I guess I'll probably be in Hufflepuff." Even he looked upset at the thought.

I shrugged. "Loyalty, hard-work…eh. If the cap fits, I suppose." I missed his confused look. "You know, you really shouldn't bag on yourself. It makes it easier for others." I thought of what Draco would say if it was him standing on the stool instead of me, and repressed a shudder for the poor plump boy. "I think you could be a Gryffindor."

His eyes widened. "W-What? Why?" His tone was almost…hopeful. Guess his family wanted him there, then.

"Well, you obviously have some form of social awkwardness, or fear. But look! You're talking to me! I've met people who actually ignore people who try and talk to them, because they're so afraid of messing up." I nodded wisely as I said all this, as the boy looked at me in awe.

"I…I guess your k-kinda right…what house do you think you'll be in?" Asking a question. Good. He seemed to have gained just a little more confidence already.

I looked upwards. "Hmm…I'd say…either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Slytherin." I grinned at him. "But, if I got to choose…Slytherin."

He looked nervous again. "O-Oh…" He shifted from foot to foot, almost falling off the stool. "My Gran's not f-fond of Slytherin's."

I shrugged. "And my Slytherin's aren't fond of your Gran." I paused. "Pretend that made sense."

He nodded in a slow and confused way. The shopkeeper girl came over and smiled at me. "All done, dear."

I smiled back, and hopped off the stool. "See you at Hogwarts ah…what's your name, anyway?"

"Neville. N-Neville Longbottom." What a funny surname. Where had I heard that before? …Ah well. I grinned at him, and waved.

"See you at Hogwarts, Nev!"

I waited outside the door while Draco got measured. (Thankfully, Neville was gone by that stage, so he didn't get the 'Malfoy Treatment', as I'd taken to calling it.) Once he was all done, we headed over to the pet shop for him to get a pet. I didn't need one, but I wanted to wait on Tom and Lucius before we got our wands.

Draco went right over to the snakes, looking down at them all in awe. "Wow…Harry, if I got a snake, could you translate what it says for me?"

I snorted. "Draco, no offence, but the snake would be more prone to liking me better since I'm a speaker." I explained honestly, as he gave me a cold look. "Hey, I said no offence!"

His face faltered, and he sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Plus, an owl can deliver letters and stuff." He looked over to where the owls were. "I'm gonna go look at them, you coming?"

I shook my head. "Be there in a minute." I replied absently, as I peered into the snake pit. Draco shrugged and walked away.

There were a few snakes in there, but the conditions they lived it were pretty bad. All trapped in the same box…I wonder how they liked it?

"Hey there." I hissed, and they all lifted their heads to stare at me.

"A speaker!" One hissed, though I couldn't tell which, so I just looked at all of them in turn.

"What an honour!" Another put in.

I smirked. "Thanks. I was wondering, do you like where you live?" I know I wouldn't.

One of them shook it's head. "No, speaker. It is very smelly, and the non-speaking humans gawp at us all day. Not to mention, the large human only feeds us once a day!"

I glanced over to the counter, where the shopkeeper stood. I stifled a giggle. Large man, indeed. He was practically obese!

I turned back to the snakes. "Yes, well, he doesn't look like he needs the extra calories." I hissed in amusement, and they all hissed a laugh.

"Harry!" Draco called from over beside the owls. "C'mere!"

"I have to go." I hissed apologetically. "It was nice meeting you all. In fact…" So nice, I had a plan. I stuck my arm into the container. "Here, come up my arm and stay under my robes. All of you. And for God's sake, don't bite me!"

They all hissed in thanks and agreement, and slithered up under my robes. I shivered slightly. They were so cold!

I walked stiffly over to Draco, trying not to let my awkwardness show.

"The speaker is warm!" One hissed from my shoulder. Well, duh.

"He-ey, Draco!" My voice sounded too high, and it faltered at the start as I tried not to wriggle or fidget. Why couldn't they just stay still?

He gave me an odd look, but shook his head slightly, and turned to the owls. "So, I was thinking of getting this one. See? Isn't he cool looking?" He pointed to a large black owl with massive, sharp looking talons that I wouldn't like to be crushed by.

"Err…yeah. He's um…intimidating looking. Suits you, really." I added, twitching slightly as one of the snakes moved across my stomach. "Stay still!" I hissed quietly, turning my head down so Draco wouldn't see or hear.

"I apologize, speaker!" the snake whispered back, stilling at once as it curled around my belly.

Draco stared at the owl, which seemed to glare back. "Hmm…I think I'll take him! Maybe he'll scare Pansy off." That girl still followed him around like a lost puppy. Draco picked up the cage, causing the owl to squawk angrily, and took him over to the till to pay for him.

"…I'll see you outside, Draco!" I called, or shouted, I dunno which. I sprinted out of the shop and looked around urgently. Where the hell could I drop these off where they wouldn't be killed? I couldn't take them home, Nagini would go mad (She can be quite jealous. She can barely stand Casper, and she's a bird) My eyes fell on Knockturn Ally. That's it! I'll just go in a little, tell them to get the hell outta my robes, and go back out. No big deal. I'd be back before Draco even noticed I'd gone.

I ran into Knockturn Ally, and almost knocked over someone who was making their way out.

"Shit! I'm sorry, but I have to-" I stopped short, upon seeing it was Lucius I nearly knocked over. Tom stood next to him, glaring at me. "Ah…well…" I coughed nervously.

"Out." Tom ordered coldly, grabbing my arm. He pulled away when he heard someone hiss, "Watch it, human!"

Tom gave me a suspicious look. "Harry…what do you have under your robes?"

Unfortunately, him very nearly squeezing one of the snakes caused it to start moving again, looking for a safer place to stay. And it didn't seem to be able to make up it's mind, disturbing the others on it's way. I tried not to giggle as it glided over the ticklish spot near my underarm, and started to fidget and twitch.

"I umm…" My voice shook with suppressed laughter and just plain jitters. Any of these could bite me right now, and Tom's anger was pretty scary. I resisted the urge to hop from foot to foot. I probably looked like I had to go to the bathroom real bad. "Just…oh, damn it all!" I shouted. "I'll be right back!"

With that, I sprinted further into the ally, with Tom and Lucius looking at me with a mixture of amusement and perplexion. Once I turned a corner, and was in the shadows, I stopped and crouched down on the ground.

"Alright, this is your stop, guys. Get out of my robes!" I hissed. One by one, the uncurled themselves and exited via robe sleeve. I sighed in relief. At least they hadn't bitten me.

"Thank you, speaker!" One hissed. "This shall make a decent nest." The others hissed their agreement, as I smiled slightly and went back to Tom and Lucius, who were waiting near the entrance.

"What on earth was that?" Lucius asked, abashed at my weird behaviour. You'd think he'd be used to it by now.

I was hardly going to say I stole a few snakes from the pet shop to set them free. That would make me sound like a freakin' hippie. "I umm…had to pee." I invented, in the spur of the moment. "You see, I had a lot of water today, good for the skin, you know, and-"

"Harry."

"Yes, Tom?"

"We don't care." Harsh.

I put on my best affronted look. "Well, Lucy asked!" I pointed at said man accusingly.

Lucius sneered at me. "Don't point in public, Potter, it's rude."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, _Dad_, I didn't know. After all, when your in Knockturn Ally, the only thing they care about is your manners." That shut him up.

We found Draco, who was at the ice-cream parlour. Apparently, when he couldn't find me, he got bored and went to eat. Typical. We made our way to the wand shop, and let me tell you, Ollivander is one creepy motherfucker. Pardon the language.

So we went in, and Narcissa was already there. She made her way over to Draco, quietly asking him about his owl and whatnot. You know, motherly stuff.

Ollivander came out, unnaturally silvery blue eyes staring at each of us in turn. He looked at Tom curiously, narrowing his eyes then shaking his head slightly. He turned to Lucius, and seemed to recognize him.

"Good afternoon," he said in a soft voice. "Lucius Malfoy…yes…eleven inches. Elm wood with dragon heartstring core. Good for duels. Rather flexible." Did this guy remember every wand he ever sold? From the almost-concealed-but-not-quite look of exasperation on Narcissa's face, I'm guessing he did this to her when she came in, too.

His eyes moved to Draco, who seemed to be trying not to fidget. "And you must be the Malfoy heir. What is your first name?" Why he wanted to know that, I'll never understand.

"Draco." came the quiet reply. I rarely saw Draco go quiet, but I guess the unblinking stare was rather disconcerting.

"Would you like to go first, Draco Malfoy?"

Draco gave a jerky nod, and Mr. Ollivander started measuring him. It took me a moment to realize he wasn't even holding the measuring tape. It was doing it on it's own.

"Right or left handed?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Left." Draco replied nervously.

Ollivander nodded and disappeared behind one of the shelves. He came back out carrying several boxes.

"Try this one. Ebony and unicorn hair, eight inches. Springy."

Draco did. He had no sooner raised it above his head than it was snatched out of his hand again.

"No, no, that won't do at all. How about this one…"

And so it went on until Draco finally found one good for him, and his parents and Tom clapped politely. Ten inch. Hawthorn wood. Unicorn hair core. Reasonably springy. Those are Ollivander's exact words. I felt like teasing Draco about getting a girly wand, since it had unicorn hair in it, but I guess the old guy would get offended if I did.

"Your turn now, Mr…" Ollivander trailed off, staring at me with those creepy eyes.

I cleared my throat slightly, trying to think of a name. "Err…Harrison. Harrison…Crouch." I said lamely, using my alias from a few years back. Tom gave me an odd but appraising look.

Mr. Ollivander nodded, and started measuring me. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Right."

He nodded, and went to get some wands. "Are you anything to Bartholomew Crouch?" he called out from behind the shelves, slipping a few boxes into his arms.

"Yeah, Barty's my cousin." I replied, rocking back on my heels as I waited.

Ollivander returned with a few boxes. He handed me one of them.

"Here. Maple and phoenix feather. Nine inches, rather-" I flicked it, and the window behind us shattered. He whipped it out of my hand again, flicking his own wand to repair the window as he took another out of it's box. "No, that's not right. How about this, oak and dragon heartstring…no…"

He kept giving me wand after wand, and the higher the pile of wands on the counter got, the happier he seemed to be. The rest of us were getting impatient, though, and the shop was getting ruined. Not that he cared.

"Hmm…a tricky customer. Don't worry, you'll find a match." he reassured me, picking up another wand and looking at it curiously. "Why not an unusual combination…here. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches. Nice and supple."

I felt a warmth spread through my, right to my magical core. I flicked the wand, and little sparks erupted from the end of it, like Muggle fireworks. They were a multitude of colours, like a rainbow. I grinned widely. This was definitely it. I vaguely heard them clapping behind me, and glanced up to see Ollivander giving me a very odd look.

"Curious…" he mused. "Very curious…"

I guess he didn't say it aloud for now reason. "What's curious, sir?"

His eyes focused on me again, glancing down at the wand in my hand, then back again. "I remember every wand I have every sold, Mr Crouch. It just so happens that the phoenix who donated the feather to your wand is the phoenix of Albus Dumbledore. He gave just one other feather, and that feather resides in the wand of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Wow. No one spoke, except Mr Ollivander, who went on as if in his own little world. "Yes…I remember that wand. Thirteen inch. Yew and phoenix feather. Very, very powerful. If I had known how many murders that wand would commit…" He trailed off, then seemed to clear up again. "But, the past is the past. I think we can expect great things from you, Mr Crouch. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrrible, yes…but great. That will be seven galleons, then."

We paid and left quickly. I let Tom inspect my wand, because, as he pointed out, he let me play around with his wand before. Whereas his was almost a perfect match for me, my own was far better. In my opinion, anyway.

Typically, he still thinks his is best.

* * *

That was so fun to write! In case you're wondering why the snakes aren't as…intelligent as Nagini when she speaks, it's because they're young. Ickle babies, as Bellatrix would say. *smirks* Harry is slightly more arrogant in this chapter, I know. :D It's 'cause it's been a few years, and he's grown up around Voldie and the Malfoys (Can you get any more arrogant than them?)

When Tom says he just wants Harry gone for nine months of the year, he wasn't serious. He's a private man, you hardly expect him to sob and ask Harry not to go, right? *Shudders* It's a pretty creepy mental image.

Alright, time for another question for all you readers =) Which house shall our dear Harry go to? I'm thinking Slytherin, but any other ideas will be considered.

Not sure when the next update will be. Depends on when I get free time again.


	29. Buh Bye, Tom

My internet got broke! It wouldn't work yesterday, or most of today. But, ah well. Here it is, the newest chapter. I made it longer, hopefully there isn't too much dialogue. Enjoy!

I reeeeally hope the canon characters (The students and teachers of Hogwarts) are _in_ character. Even vaguely.

Dhh - Harry won't be buddies with Ron :P Or Hermione. Both appear in this chapter. I didn't put in much arguement 'cause I didn't wanna seem...ah...tempermental. ¬_¬

Photo-Ninja - Well, they aren't gonna be eaten anymore :)

None of this belongs to me. I love reviews, and the button is right at the bottom so...you know...do it.

* * *

I tried to wiggle out of the fierce hug, with no success. I mentally shrugged, and hugged the man back tightly.

"Barty, it's only for a few months! I'll be back for Christmas…I think." I shot a look at Tom over Barty's shoulder, who watched us with an exasperated look on his face.

"Like I'm going to let you stay in Hogwarts over Christmas," Tom drawled mockingly. "There wouldn't be a castle left by the time everyone else returned!"

Barty laughed into my shoulder, pulled back and ruffled my hair. I tried to smooth it down again, since it was sticking up everywhere now, and I looked like a bloody hedgehog.

"Look at little Harry, all grown up," Barty teased in a motherly tone. His face suddenly turned serious, and anguished. "Who am I gonna prank people with, now? Who am I supposed to talk to?"

I glanced around the room, eyes settling on Nagini, who was draped over the rug by the fire, like some strange sort of dog. "Nagini's pretty fun once you get to know her." I pointed out innocently, as Barty choked.

"Fun?" He sent a desperate glance at Nagini, then cringed. "She'd eat me alive! Don't even try and deny it, I've seen her do it before!"

"Aww, is Barty afwaid of the big, bad snake?" I taunted. "I thought you were in Slytherin!"

He raised his chin defiantly. "I'm happy to inform you that I was. I was one sly son of a-"

"If you are quite finished with this…touching farewell," Tom interrupted coldly. "We are pressed for time."

I sighed. "Of course, of course. You will write, won't you Barty?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well, duh! Not like I have anything better to do." He seemed to feel Tom's glare in his back. He glanced over his shoulder at him, flinched, and gave a weak grin. "Except serve my Lord, of course!"

I rolled my eyes. "Grovelling, Barty. The shame," I tutted and shook my head. "But, anyway, I'll get Casper to poof in with a letter err…soon." Casper, who was sitting atop my trunk beside the door, trilled in agreement.

Barty grinned widely. "Good! Now, off you go. And I swear, if you get sorted into Huflepuff, I will personally come and burn your dorm to the ground!" he threatened ominously, as he stood up. No one seemed to like Hufflepuff…except, of course, the Hufflepuff's themselves. Why didn't Tom recruit them? It'd be easy enough. They are loyal and hardworking, after all.

I paused in my way to the door, and turned around. "_Can_ you come to the school?" Was it possible for any Death Eater to pass through the wards? Well, of course. There were student Death Eaters, after all. And Nagini could pass through the wards, why not Barty?

Barty frowned, and turned to Tom with a questioning look on his face.

Tom looked thoughtful. "I suppose it would be possible…but not entirely wise. The old fool could catch you."

Barty looked excited. "My Lord, could I perhaps visit once in a while?" he requested, eyes sparkling in glee at the prospect. "To ah…check up on the Light?" To prank the hell out of Dumbledore.

He stared at him for a long moment, before the corner of his lips curled into a smirk. I'm guessing he read the man's mind, and that he was thinking along the same lines as me. "You may. Just don't get caught." The threat that followed was left unsaid.

Barty nodded feverishly. "Of course, My Lord! Wouldn't dream of it." I could practically see the cogs working in his mind. Hogwarts was in for a shock worthy of those Weasley twins Severus kept complaining about.

Tom turned his attention toward me, and held out his arm. Great. We were Apparating. Grimacing slightly, I shrunk my trunk (That rhymes!) and put it in my pocket. I hissed a goodbye to Nagini, who said she'd come see me soon, and let Casper hop onto my head. Then, I grabbed onto Tom's arm hesitantly and got that weird suction feeling.

When I opened my eyes, we were just outside Kings Cross station. And guess what? I didn't fall! Been getting better at Apparating lately. We walked in, and Casper got quite a few odd looks from the Muggles, who all three of us ignored.

"Where's the platform?" I questioned Tom, glancing down at my train ticket. 9 and ¾. What the hell? I looked up. Platform 9 and 10 were there, but no 9 and ¾.

Tom nodded toward the large pillar between them ('cause Dark Lord's don't point, you see). "There."

I gave him an are-you-mad look. "Tom…that's a wall." I explained slowly, looking at him cautiously. Had he finally lost it? Eh…he never had it to begin with, I think.

"It's a barrier, you fool," he snapped irritably. Touchy today, wasn't he? "You hardly expect us to have a normal train where even Muggles can board, do you?" I didn't say anything. He turned away from me, and toward the barrier, where a rather large family of red head's were standing with their trunks and owl cages. "Watch them."

I whistled lowly at the size of the family. "Good God, she's had some fun, hasn't she?" I murmured to him. Tom seemed to bite back his smirk.

"Mum, can't I go?" a small, red haired girl whined, pulling the plump lady who was holding her hand.

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet." the fat woman said in a half soothing, half strict tone. She turned to a tall boy with curly red hair and glasses. "Alright, Percy, you go first."

Percy nodded, then actually sprinted into the wall. Was he trying to draw attention to himself? However, instead of crashing, he merely went straight through it with an odd, rubbery sound. I blinked. Whoa. Guess they must have a charm on it to stop Muggles from seeing. The woman turned to two identical (again, red headed) boys. I think the family must be inbred or something. Pureblooded, I mean. Heh.

"Fred, you're next," she said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George!" the boy said indignantly. "Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

His mother looked flustered. "Sorry, George, dear."

The boy grinned at her mischievously. "Only joking, I am Fred!" He ran through the barrier before she could say anything else, and his twin soon followed.

"Huh," I started walking forward, with Tom at my side. "Well, I think that's all of-"

"Your turn, Ron!"

"…" We were going to be here a while. The hopefully last of the boys, who was taller than me, with gangly limbs and a face full of freckles, pushed his trolley forward and went through the barrier. The woman smiled at us apologetically, then went through herself with her daughter in hand.

I waited a moment, then took a hesitant step forward. No more redheads. It was all over. I breathed a sigh of relief, and stood directly in front of the barrier. I poked it with my index finger, and the finger actually went through. Cackling, I turned back to grin at Tom.

"What'd you think? Should I flip off whoever's at the other side?"

He raised an eyebrow, sneered, then shoved me through the barrier. I ended up landing on someone with a loud, 'oomph', and I heart Casper poof away in fright. Presumably to the castle. I opened my eyes only to realize I had a face full of bushy brown hair. Trying not to sneeze, I got off the girl and helped her stand.

"Sorry, I didn't-"

She spun around to glare at me. "What on earth were you trying to do?" she snapped, in a bossy sort of voice.

I heard and felt Tom coming through the barrier behind me, and didn't have to turn around to know he was smirking. "S'not my fault! I was pushed!" I protested.

She made a 'humph' sound and gave me a look that clearly said she didn't believe me. "Who would push a boy through a wall?"

I sniffed. "Lots of people. Bullies, pranksters…Dark Lords." I muttered the last part under my breath so she wouldn't hear. "But, see, it was this guy here! Yell at him if you want, you crazy girl!" I stepped aside, presenting her with Tom, who had an intimidating and cold look on his face as he stared down his nose at her.

She faltered at the look, then shook her head and swallowed. "I'd rather not…" She turned to me, and said quietly, "Y-Your Dad's quite frightening."

Why the hell did everyone keep thinking he was my Dad? Even Tom rolled his eyes. Ah well, I wasn't going to explain my life story to a stranger. "Yeah, that's what most people say. I for one think he was dropped on his head as a kid one too many times," I shot Tom a dirty look, which he returned. "Such a shame."

"If anyone had damage to their head as a child, it's you." he retorted nastily, causing me to glare even more.

The girl shifted awkwardly, clearly not used to much arguing. "So err…are you going to Hogwart's then?" she stammered, at lack of anything better to say.

I gave her an incredulous look. "No, I'm just waiting for the train so I can jump off it. 'Course I'm for Hogwarts! You look small. Are you a first year, too?"

That was clearly the wrong thing to say. "I am no smaller than you are! In fact, I'm taller than you," As if to prove it, she measured our heads with her hand, and looked at me in a triumphant way. "See? You're the small one! And yes, I am first year. I didn't even know about magic until I got my letter…quite a surprise, really." Tom's gaze turned icy at that revelation, but I didn't really process it for a while.

It's a common known rule at Slytherin Castle that if you make fun of my height, you get pranked. Or humiliated. Whichever comes first. I send the girl my most withering glare. "I am not small! You're just…wearing higher shoes…and of course your hair makes up for your-" Wait. She didn't know about magic? "…Are you a Muggle-Born?"

She sent me a confused look. "Pardon?"

"Your parents. Are they Muggles? Non-magical people?"

A look of understanding overcame her features. "Oh! Professor McGonagall mentioned that when she visited! Yes, my parents are Muggles," She narrowed her eyes at me. "Is that a problem?" No doubt McGonagall filled her in on the prejudices.

I shrugged. "I don't know you, so I guess not. C'mon Tom, trains leaving soon." I grabbed the man's sleeve and dragged him away before her melted the girl with his glare. He really didn't like 'Mudbloods', as he called them.

I looked around for Draco or Blaise, but they weren't here. Ah, well. I turned to Tom, who was staring at the Gryffindor-red steam train, then glanced back to me. We both stood their awkwardly for a few moments, before I started rocking back on my heels.

"So…" I drew out the word, glancing anywhere but the man in front of me. All the parents around us were saying goodbye, hugging their kids…

Hugging?

Trying not to smirk, I made an exaggerated show of looking around me. "Look at all these families hugging…"

I risked a glance at Tom, only to see he had narrowed his glamoured brown eyes at me. Perfect. This was payback for pushing me through the barrier.

"And, it's not like anyone would stare, since we wouldn't stand out," I went on, dropping so many hints it would be impossible for him not to get it.

He glared at me viciously. "Take one step toward me, and I'll Crucio you into insanity." he threatened coldly.

I blew out an exaggerated sigh. "Ah, but then the people around us would rush to my rescue, and wonder why any man would torture his own…_child_." I smirked at him in a superior fashion.

He paused, then came up with a solution. "I could wait until Christmas."

"I'll stay at school."

"Summer."

"I'm sure Dumbledore would let me stay if he thought I was in danger."

The glare Tom was sending me was completely and utterly terrifying…if I wasn't used to his mood swings. He didn't say anything else, which I took as a reluctant go-ahead. Actually, I just didn't care. I lunged forward, wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed tightly. Tom just stood stiff and rigid, arms pinned to his side by my own.

I stepped back, and beamed up at his cold and vaguely uncomfortable face. "You give excellent hugs! Or not…but heck, you stood still, which is more than I expected. I'll send you a letter with Casper once I get to school. Buh-bye, Tom!" I turned and ran into the train before he could even think of cursing me. A hex hit the side of the train door, just barely missing me, as I ducked into the hallway with a wide grin on my face.

After checking a few compartments, I figured Draco must not be here yet. Or that he'd find me. I found an empty compartment, went in and sprawled across the seat by the window. No sooner than I had started to relax, the door opened and a boy (who didn't even knock!) entered. I recognized him as one off the redheads from the barrier, though which, I couldn't be sure.

"All the other compartments are full," he explained. "Mind if I sit here?"

All full? How could every single compartment be full? Ah well, excuses, excuses. I shrugged, which he took as a yes, and sat down. He stared at me for a moment, before introducing himself.

"I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley," Wasn't as bad as Draco's original 'James Bond' introduction. "My real names Ronald, but only my mother calls me that."

After a long moment of silence, I realized I was expected to say something back. I couldn't very well just say my real name, this boy was a Weasley. Known Light supporters. He'd be fawning over me in seconds. "…Harrison Crouch."

His eyebrows went above his hairline. "Harrison _Crouch?" _He suddenly looked fearful. "Y-You're not related to Barty Crouch, the Death Eater, are you?"

I smirked at him, and nodded once. "I am."

He swallowed heavily, glanced toward the door, and back to me. "I-I think I better go," he said weakly, getting up and heading swiftly for the door. This could be fun.

I flicked my wand at the door, and it locked with a 'click'. The boy tried uselessly to pull it open, then took out his wand, but seemed to realize he didn't know any spells. Didn't the Light families teach their children any defensive spells? What if they got caught in a raid?

"What's the problem, Ronald?" I taunted. "We were getting along just fine."

He turned around to me, eyes wide and the hand he was using to point his wand at me shaking very badly. "What's the problem?" he echoed in a voice that sounded too high. "You're a filthy Death Eater, that's the problem! Let me out, or I'll…I'll…I'll tell Professor Dumbledore! He's the only one you scum actually fear!"

I shook my head sadly, in a mocking sort of way. "Ah, but Dumbledore's at Hogwarts. And the train hasn't left yet. By the time we get there…well, let's just say you may not be able to speak to anyone." I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing at what he did next.

His eyes, if possible, widened even more, and his entire body was shaking now. His breathing heavy, he started to scream. "HELP! HELP! FRED! GEORGE! ANYONE! HELP!" He started banging madly on the door, and I realized with a surge of disappointment I had forgotten to cast a Silenco. Sighing heavily, I flicked my wand and opened the door again, only to have a girl almost fall in, and for Ron to almost hit her with his flailing fists. He quickly ducked behind her, as she straightened herself up.

"He's a Death Eater! He tried to kill me, please, get a teacher, get anyone-" Ron babbled on, trembling badly and very nearly sobbing.

The girl stepped into the compartment, and stared at me with a mixture of wariness and disbelief. She looked around sixteen or seventeen, with bubble-gum pink hair that went a little past her shoulders and dark eyes. She was already in her robes, which were yellow and black, with the Hufflepuff badge on them.

I nodded toward Ron. "Can you do something about him? I'm afraid he just won't stop screaming. Might be Confunded, I think." I felt the train start to move, and quickly glanced out the window. Tom wasn't there anymore.

The girl glanced back at Ron, who was still babbling. She looked past him, as a boy with curly red hair (another from the barrier) approached him angrily and grabbed hold of his shoulders.

"Ron, be quiet! You're causing a scene!" Sure enough, people were starting to gather to watch the boy go hysterical.

"-A Death Eater, Percy, he's a Death Eater! Tried to kill me, tell a teacher, get him off the train-" Ron went on, oblivious to the drawing crowd.

Percy, and several others, paled at the accusation of 'Death Eater'. "D-Death Eater? Where, Ron, where is he?" he asked urgently, drawing his wand and pointing it around the crowd.

Ron shakily pointed to me, and Percy and several others poked their heads into my compartment, wands drawn, then frowned. They were all very quiet, and Percy quickly cast a Silencing Spell on Ron, who kept shouting even though he was making no noise.

The girl with the pink hair rolled her eyes. "The kid's not a Death Eater. I think your brothers been Confunded, Percy." She seemed to be trying hard not to laugh.

Percy spared Ron a scowl, and turned back to the girl. "Thank you, Nymphadora. I'll get him to a teacher."

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "My name is _not_ Nymphadora!" she yelled, her hair steadily turning to a dark maroon colour. Was she a Metamorphmagus? "It's Tonks!"

I looked at the girl - Tonks, I needed to remember that - in curiosity. "Are you a Metamorphmagus?" I blurted out, not caring if I sounded blunt or rude.

She look back at me as the crowd started to thin, and nodded. "Yeah…my hair changed colour again, didn't it?" Scowling, she glared at the wall and her hair turned back to pink. "How'd you know, anyway? Most people just think it's a spell."

I smirked, and changed my hair to match her shade. She gasped, then squealed in delight. "You're a Metamorphmagus, too! Oh, I've never met another one!" She flung herself into the seat across from me. "How much can you do? Are you a full one? Can you change your eyes and skin and facial structure and-" She rambled on, eyes gleaming in excitement.

"Yes, yes, I'm full," I interrupted, bemused. "I've never met another one, either. You must be a Pureblood or Half-Blood then, yeah?"

She nodded several times in quick succession. "Yeah, Half-Blood. Yourself?"

"Half-Blood," I echoed her. We grinned at each other. "Being Pureblood is overrated, anyway. Who'd want to be inbred?"

Someone cleared their throat importantly at the open doorway. It was Draco. About time, too, though he didn't look too happy at the inbred comment. "I, for one, am proud of being Pureblood," he said haughtily, holding his chin high. The first time I called him inbred, he freaked, but I guess he's used to it now.

"Hello, Draco!" I chirped cheerfully. "Finally get around to popping by?"

He snorted, muttered something under his breath. Draco waved off the Crabble and Goyle who stood guard at either side (they grunted and walked down the hall) and entered the compartment. Blaise came in behind him, sending me a bemused smirk.

"Good to see you, too, Potter," Blaise drawled. "Draco hasn't stopped complaining…"

"I did not complain! I merely commented at how unreliable he is!"

Blaise shut the door behind him, and Draco sat beside me, ignoring Tonks for now. Blaise sat on Draco's other side, eyeing the girl with curiosity, which she returned.

"Where the hell were you?" Draco asked impatiently. "We waited for you for ages, until Father got fed up!"

I shrugged, shooting him a lopsided grin. "I was trying to get a hug from Tom." I admitted sheepishly.

There was silence as both of them stared at me in a mixture of shock and horror. Tonks looked confused to their reaction.

"You…you tried to _hug_ the-" Draco stopped short at my warning glare. "Err…T-Tom?" He cringed as he said the name. I think his father must have told him never to call Tom by his name. I know I would.

I nodded slowly.

Blaise looked thoughtful. "And? What happened?" he asked curiously.

I shrugged. "I tricked him into it. I think I'll be paying dearly for that some time soon, but until then…" I trailed off, uncertainly, then brightened up. "Look! I've made a friend! Guys, this is Tonks!"

They both turned to her, and Draco narrowed his eyes for some reason.

"Tonks is a Metamorphmagus, like me," I went on, oblivious to his hostility. "Cool, huh? Tonks, this is Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy."

Tonks narrowed her eyes at Draco. "_Malfoy?_" she echoed sourly.

Draco sneered at her. "So _you're _the Blood-Traitor's spawn? How…unsanitary."

Blaise and I sent each other questioning looks, while Tonks looked angry.

"'Least my Mum had the guts to marry who she loved!"

"Yes, a filthy Mudblood!" Draco had yet to break the name-calling habit.

They bickered on, while Blaise and I remained lost. Clearing my throat, I yelled, "QUIET!" They jumped, and stared at me. Or glared. I don't care either way.

"Why are you two so bitchy with each other?" I asked bluntly.

Draco sniffed disdainfully. "This filth is my cousin," he spat. "Mother's sister ran away with a Mudblood when she graduated." Ah. I knew there were three Black sisters, but hadn't asked what happened to the other. Bellatrix would kill me, and it might've upset Narcissa if it turned out the third sister had died or something.

"…But you've never actually met each other?" They shook heads simultaneously. "Well…can't you just shut up for the train journey?" They both glared at me. "…I'll buy you anything you want from the trolley."

Draco sneered at me. "I don't need your charity." But he still shut up.

Tonks stared at me, then smiled widely, though it was a bit strained. "Alright, kid, you've got yourself a deal," Money _does_ buy happiness! "What's your name anyway?"

Do I give her my real name or my alias? Well, I didn't have any need to lie, really. "Harry," I answered honestly.

We all made basic small talk until we got to the school. Turns out Tonks is in seventh year, studying to be a Auror. Draco told her it was a stupid job, and they got into a debate about that. I had to buy Tonks about half the trolley, and had no more money left for myself. She took pity on me, and shared her - my? - sweets with me.

When we got to the school, an absolute giant of a man was collecting us first years. Now that I thought about it, I remembered hearing talk of the gamekeeper at Hogwarts being half-giant. Hagrid. Guess this was him, then. Tom said he had framed the man during school, for opening the Chamber Of Secrets. He wouldn't tell me where it is, but I intend to find it.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over 'ere!" Hagrid boomed, the kids around him looking like midgets. I waved goodbye to Tonks, who wished me luck with the sorting, and joined the rest of my year.

"…We're taking _boats _across?" I asked dully, kicking one of the tiny boats sharply. It tipped over. Lovely.

"Now, now, don' be doin' tha'!" Hagrid scolded, lumbering over and turning the boat right-side up again. Then, he shouted, "No more 'n four to a boat!"

All three of us stared at each other, shrugged, and got into the boat. If we died, at least Draco's parents could sue the school. I saw Pansy Parkinson making her way over, and groaned loudly. She stepped onto the boat, and glared at me. I think she wanted me to sit beside Blaise, rather than Draco. I smiled sweetly at her.

"Hello, Pansy! Decided to grace us with your presence?"

She gritted her teeth, but the boats were starting to sail (by themselves!) so she reluctantly sat down beside Blaise. The boy in question shifted closer to the edge, ready to throw himself overboard if need arise.

Our boat sailed with the others, going further out into the lake. There was some screaming from a farther away boat, and the shadow of a large tentacle in the air.

"Don' worry!" Hagrids distant voice reassured. "It's jus' the giant squid!" Just?

Pansy was simpering and talking to Draco, who looked thoroughly bored. We couldn't see the castle yet, and I had a brilliant idea.

"Hey, I wonder if the squid eats children!" I said loudly, causing several nearby kids to look over.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "No, Potter, that's the large oaf who collected us." I think he meant Hagrid.

I pretended to think, then grabbed onto either side of the boat and started to rock it. Gently at first, then violently. Pansy shrieked at me to stop, Draco was giving me a wide-eyed look, and Blaise looked sea-sick.

Finally, I rocked too hard, and the boat tipped.

* * *

*Cringe* I'm sorry I didn't put the Sorting in this chapter! But, it was so long, and I thought having the boat tip would be a fun-ish cliff hanger so...

Before _certain people _*glares* point it out, no, Harry and Hermione won't be friends. I know he wasn't all 'I HATE YOU' to her, but I thought this was more realistic. His Mom's a Muggle-Born, so he can't exactly dislike her for that. Besides, he's planning to humiliate/prank her for calling him short ;) Fun, huh? As for Ron, I really hope that was too out of character. I was just having a lot of fun there :P Tonks will be a friend, because she's awesome and a Metamorphmagus too. I know she graduated the year before Harry came in canon, but I wanted to change that a little. Shes in seventh year now, just a year's change, really.

As for Harry hugging Tom...*sniggers* I had no idea how to have them saying goodbye without having it soppy or terribly cold and formal. So...ta dah! Harry, the manipulative bastard! Maybe Tom'll send him a howler :O

...Nah.

Next chapter'll be up soon. Might have everyone's favourite dog there, not sure yet. :D


	30. A Chat With Santa

This chapter is a little more serious than the others. At least, at the start.

Elfwyn - Harry isn't going to Hogwarts as Harrison Crouch. He just said that so people wouldn't treat him like a saint, and that he wouldn't have people sucking up to him and trying to be his friend. Blaise called Harry 'Potter' because I didn't think of that XD It's a typo, then, or a lapse in concentration. Maybe I'll fix it some time. I dunno.

Sephirotx - Pansy doesn't treat anyone with respect ('cept Draco, but _he_ doesn't like it) He's Voldemort's favorite, yes, which is why some of the Death Eaters, like Bellatrix, are jealous and try to get rid of him. The smarter ones, like Lucius, stay on Harry's good side.

None of this belongs to me. A review would be wonderful :)

* * *

All four of us tumbled into the icy water with a splash, and went under immediately. That's when I realized this wasn't one of my brighter ideas. And that, my friends, is the understatement of the centaury.

I couldn't feel my limbs. My insides had turned to ice, my entire body felt numb. I felt like a ghost, not really there, and the water was so cold. The pain was terrible, like thousands of knives stabbing into every inch of my body. They were red-hot, I thought for a moment I had fallen into fire rather than water. I had stopped breathing the instant I fell in, and my limbs felt stiff.

I opened my eyes, and the salt in the water stung so badly I almost shut them again. I forced myself to keep them open, not that it did much good. I couldn't even see my nose, the water was so dark, almost black, and completely filthy. I couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down. Where was Draco, and Blaise? Hell, where was Pansy?

I forced myself to move, and started flailing my limbs madly, trying to reach the surface. Was I going up or down? I didn't know. My lungs felt like they were about to explode, I felt dizzy, I needed to breathe.

I suppose by now you've all understood that I can't swim. Dudley was the one Petunia sent to swimming lessons, not me. And I guess Tom just assumed I already knew how. What if I died? What would he say?

…Probably Crucio the messenger, I guess. I hope it's Bellatrix.

I felt like I was losing control of both my body and my mind. Literally, it felt as if I was slowly taking the back seat and something else was overpowering me. It was a horrifying feeling, I didn't want anything else in control of _my_ body. I thrashing about, trying to keep control, but it was winning, I could feel it.

I couldn't hold my breath any longer. This was it, I was gone. I started inhaling water, choking and blowing bubbles out. Just as my vision started to blacken at the edges, I felt arms encircle me and forcefully pull me up.

I resurfaced, spluttering and coughing in the arms of my rescuer, who was holding me above water tightly and not letting go. I distantly heard people talking all at the same time. The blackness was quickly fading away, but the feeling of possession stayed, and was slowly growing.

"Harry!" Draco called urgently, floating in the water in front of me. I could see a lot of boats all stopped behind him, and I didn't raise my eyes. I was too busy trying to fight whatever this thing inside of me was. "Blaise, he's not answering…"

"Of course he's not answering, he almost died!" the person who was holding me snapped. Blaise pulled me up, then. "Maybe he's in shock."

I wanted to shout that no, I wasn't in shock, but I truly couldn't. I wasn't in control of my vocal cords anymore, and half my mind was numb. I started thrashing wildly, then threw back my head and let out a blood-curling scream. It hurt so much, worse than the water, worse than the Cruciatus Bella had finally managed to hit me with, worse than anything I had ever felt. Then, it stopped, and I blacked out.

I don't know how long I was out for, but when I came around, I was still in the water, still being held up by Blaise (though his grip was like iron, now) still surrounded by boats full of people. Except they were all looking at me in fear now. Silence, then the whispering started.

"Do you think he's mad?"

"Maybe someone cursed him."

"A Death Eater might have done it."

"I heard he _was_ a Death Eater."

Draco was looking at me in fear, and Pansy had swam away and clambered into a nearby boat with some other girls, shaking and looked terrified.

Draco swallowed, swam forward a little and asked hesitantly, "Harry…Harry, is that you?"

Slowly, I nodded. The presence, the feeling of possession, of another in my mind, was gone. What the hell had happened when I had passed out?

Blaise asked, in a shaking voice, "What colour are his eyes?" Why would my eyes change colour?

Draco stared at me hard. "Green. They're normal…it's alright, it's over."

I swallowed hard, then forced out, "Draco, what happened?" My voice was hoarse, dry and croaky, both from screaming and the horribly cold water.

Draco looked haunted. "Your eyes…they turned red. And…you weren't yourself."

The rest of the trip to the castle was all a blur. We were helping into a boat (Hagrid and a lot of the other students hadn't noticed us falling in, and had went on, which is why that man shouldn't be sent to pick up kids. A fair few had stayed, though how they got the boats to stop, I still don't know) and given random peoples robes to help dry off. All of us were shaking badly, and sneezing all over the place. We got to the castle, were reprimanded for being late, someone told the story, and they tried to take us to the Infirmary. We said no, not until we were sorted, so they dried us off and cast a warming charm on our clothes.

I didn't listen to McGonagall's speech at all. I was too busy thinking. My eyes had turned red. And that could only mean one thing. The Horcrux had possessed me, as Tom has warned me about all those years ago. Why now? Why had it never done this before? I had been close to death before, a few times, actually. Why was this only happening now? Because I was at Hogwarts? Did that trigger the Horcruxes memories? Or was it because I was older?

I had no idea. I frowned at the large door that led to the Great Hall, and listened to the other first years chatter nervously around us. I'd have to ask Tom about this when I mailed him.

"My brother said you have to wrestle a troll!" a boy - Ron Weasley, the one I had scared - piped up, as they all discussed what you had to do to be sorted into a house.

I had asked Tom how we were sorted, but he had just smirked and said it was 'something that talks without a mouth and intrudes your privacy'. I had a few different scenario's, none of which were pleasant.

A bossy voice reprimanded him. "Honestly, that's not even legal! Half of the people would die, not to mention that it doesn't say anything about your personality!" The girl from the barrier, who I fell on. I'd say she'll be in Ravenclaw.

"Who asked you?" Ron said rudely, giving her a dirty look.

She was interrupted as she went to reply. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?" Draco sneered at Ron, still a bit shaken from the possession incident but hiding it well.

Ron narrowed his eyes at Draco. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

Draco eyed him like he was something disgusting laying in a gutter. "Red hair, hand-me-down robes, and look! You've even got dirt on your nose. When's the last time your family bathed? Or was there not enough water left for you?"

A few of the surrounding people sniggered, though they were all Pureblooded family friends.

Ron was steadily turning red in the face, and it was getting very difficult to determine where his hair started and his skin ended. And no, I am not exaggerating.

"And who are you? A Death Eater, no doubt." Ron spat.

Draco lifted his chin high. "I am Draco Malfoy," he said importantly.

"You know," I pointed out in a bored tone. "You really shouldn't throw around such accusations, Weasley. People might think you're mad."

Ron looked at me in fear, before glancing at a preoccupied McGonagall. Seeing that there was supervision, and I couldn't harm him, he turned angry. "You're one to talk! You're about as mad as they get! No surprise you hang about with a _Malfoy_."

I snickered. "Oh, very brave, Ronald," He glared at me. "To be honest, I'd rather be with a Malfoy than a Weasley."

Ron looked like I'd just called his mother a whore. "Not like I'd want to be friends with you anyway, Crouch!" Gasps and whispers from the surrounding gallery. "You'll be in Azkaban before you even finish school!"

Like I'd let anyone shove me in Azkaban. "Even if I did go to Azkaban, Weasley, at least I know I have people who would break me out on the first night. Tell me, how long would it take you to be rescued by your so-called 'Light' side? A month? Two?"

Ron's glare could wither stone. "The Light rescues their own straight away!" he argued viciously. "Your side's the one that does the kidnapping."

I burst in into laughter, causing several people to stare. "Oh, that's rich! For your information, Weasley, I have met many people who have been kidnapped and held captive for months. The Light didn't even try to rescue them! Hell, most of them were killed."

Ron's complexion was looking particularly pasty, when McGonagall told us to enter the hall. And boy, was it amazing! I could see why they called it the 'Great Hall'. The sky actually reflected the weather outside (Which the bushy-haired girl pointed out loudly) and had four long tables for each house. At the top, was the head table, for all the teachers.

A hat. We were being sorted by a hat! Well, I never would've guessed that. Most of the other children were about to faint from anxiety, and I myself was very nervous. What house would I go to? What if I ended up in Hufflepuff, and Barty burned down the entire school?

…Now that I think of it, maybe I should go to Hufflepuff for the laughs.

The Sorting Hat sang some weird ass song, that I couldn't for the life of me remember. I watched as Hermione Granger, the girl I fell on, surprisingly went to Gryffindor, after a long debate with the hat under her breath. They'd break her, no doubt. Neville Longbottom, the boy from the robes shop, also went to Gryffindor. He ran off with the hat still on his head, but looked ecstatic regardless. Draco went to Slytherin before the hat had even touched his perfect little head. I think he would have been annoyed if it had messed up his hair, and apparently the hat knew so, too.

Finally, it was my turn. McGonagall paused at my name, read over the line several times, eyes wide and mouth forming a little, 'O', before she finally called out in a shaking yet firm voice, "P-Potter, Harry!"

The hall went silent as I stepped forward, then the whispering started.

"The Harry Potter?"

"I though he was dead!"

"He doesn't look too bad for a prisoner of You-Know-Who…"

"I bet he's a Gryffindor! He's got to be, he survived You-Know-Who twice!"

I turned and raised an eyebrow at the hall. "You know," I called out, pleased that my voice held. "Whispering really does no good when I can _hear _you." They all went silent at that. I flashed them an arrogant 'Malfoy Smirk', then strode forward and sat on the stool.

The professor plopped the Sorting Hat on me with shaking hands, and I instantly heard a voice fill my mind. It sounded like the voice I thought words with, only it was older and deeper, with a jazzy sort of quality to it.

"Well, well. Harry Potter," the Hat said. "Or should I say, Harrison Crouch? Back from the dead, are we?"

I nodded, then realized it couldn't see me. "Well, duh," I thought back. "And Harry Potter will do just fine. I though you'd run screaming, but then I realized you didn't have any legs."

The Hat mentally snorted, and I felt it pass my Occulemency shields with ease. Would it tell Dumbledore? Hmm…probably not. Who would listen to a hat anyway?

"Good shields you have there," it complimented, then paused as it went through my mind. "My…what a life you've led. A triple Heir…and I never thought I'd see the day Tom Riddle made a friend…with his mortal enemy, no less! How unique. You certainly have the complete loyalty required for Hufflepuff house…"

I thought of Barty coming and setting my dorm on fire. "I don't think that's a good idea, in the interest of safety for the other children."

"Ah, young Barty always was very mischievous…don't worry. You're much more than that, I can assure you. You have brains that would make Rowena proud, which is no surprise, seeing as you're her Heir. As brilliant as your mother, you are. But…no. The bookworms could not handle you, they would view you as a fascinating but irritating specimen. It is not your place."

It was either Gryffindor or Slytherin, then. "Do I get a choice?" I asked mentally, kicking my legs back and forth, making a dull clunking sound against the legs of the stool.

The Hat was silent for a long time, before admitting, "I will take your opinion into consideration. You know, I rarely get anyone who does more than just sit there, petrified. It's either Gryffindor or Slytherin. I personally think you have the bravery of Godric himself, judging by your past experiences. You have gotten down and dirty with the community's most feared witch's and wizard's, and came out on top! Quite an accomplishment of bravery, I think."

I pondered for a moment. "…I think I want to be in Slytherin, with my friends. If I go to Gryffindor, it'll just people think I'm still on their side, when I'm not."

The Hat mentally sighed. "Ah, yes, people can be rather stereotypical in that way. You have the cunning worthy of even the best of Slytherin's, which is no surprise, seeing as you grew up with the Heir. And, you are an Heir yourself, yes?"

I nodded, and had to catch myself on again. "Yes. Yes, I'm an Heir."

"Hmm…and while you can be foolishly reckless, you also plan things out beforehand. To a certain degree, anyway. Very ambitious, you want to break away from the hero image," the Hat paused, then seemed to make up it's mind. "Alright, I've decided. Good luck in the future Mr. Potter, and I'm sure you'll fit in well with…SLYTHERIN!"

It yelled out the last part, and I took the hat off my head with a satisfied smirk. I stood up and actually had to force it into a stunned McGonagall's hands. I looked at the teachers first. Snape didn't look too surprised, but sneered at me anyway, for the sake of it. Hagrid, and a lot of the other teachers (whose names I didn't know) looked completely stunned. I caught the eye of a man with long black hair, whose eyes were distant and detached. Finally, I looked at Dumbledore, who looked very grave. His gaze was not twinkling.

I turned around to the silent students. Then, one person started clapping. I glanced over, and almost laughed. Draco was slowly applauding, which led the rest of the Slytherin's to do so. The clapping turned to cheers, louder than they had been for anyone else. Giving them a mock-salute, and sauntered over to the Slytherin table and sat beside Draco, grinning at him.

McGonagall finally snapped out of her stupor, and called out the next student. The chatter quickly picked up again, but a lot of people still stared. I caught the eye of Tonks at the Hufflepuff table, who looked thoroughly stunned, and grinned. She gave me a small, forced smile.

"Well," I said to Draco. "That was certainly interesting. You could lead an army Draco, you know that?"

He smirked. "Father said it's important to have leadership qualities." he announced proudly.

I didn't get to answer him, because I felt something cold standing behind me. Hesitantly, I slowly turned around into the face of a ghost. I yelped in surprise, but not fear. There were a few ghosts in Slytherin Castle, after all, though they rarely let themselves be seen. This one was covered in blood, and staring very hard at me, before his face turned into a wide and grotesque grin.

"...Who're you?" I asked, trying to ignore the tempting idea of running home and hiding in my room.

"I am Baron," the ghost introduced himself with a slight bow. "Or, Bloody Baron. Can't say I prefer either."

I wouldn't either. "Riiight...and err...can I help you, Baron?" No way I was calling him Bloody Baron. At least, not to his face.

He smirked in a very Slytherin-like way. I'm guessing he was Slytherin's house ghost, then. "No, I was just looking," What an odd and disturbing thing to say. "Good-day, Heir." Then he floated away, which made his entire encounter completely pointless.

When the Sorting was over, with Ron Weasley predictably going to Gryffindor and Blaise coming to Slytherin with us, Dumbledore stood and smiled benignly at the hall, opening his arms wide like he wanted nothing more than to embrace every one of us. I found myself leaned away from him a little.

"Welcome back, to another wonderful year at Hogwarts!" he cried out happily. He reminded me vaguely of Dobby. I wonder if those two would get along? "Now, before we begin our feast, which I know you are all eager to dig into, I have a few words to say. And here they are: Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak! That is all." He sat down again, still smiling warmly at us.

Food appeared in front of us, and I was still gaping at Dumbledore.

"Careful, Potter, you'll catch a snitch." a deep, male voice taunted from nearby. I shut my mouth, and turned to raise an eyebrow at the speaker.

He was sitting a little down the table, across from me, and looked about fifteen or sixteen. He was relatively well built, with coarse black hair and shifty grey eyes.

"Not unless there's one zooming around," I retorted. "Is Dumbledore always that…ah…"

"Senile?" offered a girl my age, who had golden-blonde hair and dark blue eyes.

"Insane?" suggested a boy who looked eerily similar to Richard Nott. I realized this must be his son, Theodore.

"Irritating?" the sixteen-year-old boy said sourly.

I shook my head. "While those are all very good adjectives," I commented, loading my plate with potatoes. "I was thinking more along the lines of…creepy. I know I wouldn't like to be trapped in a room with him."

Blaise shuddered from beside me. "Let's just hope you never get sent to the Headmaster's office." he said in mock-horror, as most of the surrounding Slytherin's snickered.

I felt someone standing beside me, and looked up. Snape sneered down at me (he needed more facial expressions) and said in a quiet tone, "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster wishes to see you in his office after dinner. The password is Cauldron Cake."

I looked at him, horrified at the irony, then threw back my head and yelled, "NOOOOOOOOO!" I didn't get to yell for long, because Draco covered my mouth with his hand, but I kept on screaming my little muffled protests, as the rest of the hall went quiet and stared at me.

…Moving on! I made some crappy introductions. Turns out the blonde girl's name is Daphne Greengrass. Her parents joined us a few years back, but I had never actually seen her around the castle. Guess they didn't bring her. The young boy was Theodore Nott, as I thought, and he was just as quiet as his father. The sixteen year old, with the dark hair, was Marcus Flint. I had never heard of his parents before, to be honest, but he was alright. A bit unpleasant, but then again, who wasn't?

Once the feast was finished, Dumbledore stood once again to make his announcements.

"First of all, I would like to welcome our new Defence Against Dark Arts teacher - Professor Sirius Black!" The man in question stood up. A lot of people applauded, a few even cheered. I knew of Sirius Black, of course. Top Auror, framed for betraying my parents and killing thirteen Muggles. Freed a few years ago. Also my godfather. He caught my eye, and stared at me for a long moment, looking pained. Then, he sat down again, but didn't look away from me. I didn't know what to make of him yet.

"Also," Dumbledore went on. "I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is still out of bounds," I snorted. Obviously. "Magic is not allowed in the corridors. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch…" I zoned him out after that. If he was talking about the caretaker, then he clearly had nothing else important to say.

I made my way slowly to the Headmaster's office after dinner, with a few people wishing me good luck. I knew what he wanted to see me for, and I strengthen my Occulemency shields as strong as I could get them. I'd avoid looking him in the eye if I could.

I said the password to the two statues, and the coolest thing happened. The gargoyles actually jumped apart, and these little stairs revolved upwards. I hopped onto them as they climbed up.

I knocked before entering (It's polite, you see), and all chatter immediately stopped. Lord, he had invited almost every teacher here! Even the groundskeeper! Severus gave me a warning look, which I interpreted as 'keep your cool'.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore greeted, looking quite flustered. "Please, take a seat." I did so, and so did all the teachers. They were pretty much seated at my right side. "Lemon drop?" I shook my head silently. Probably drugged the damn sweets.

Dumbledore took a few moments to recollect himself, then took a deep breath. "Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I must be blunt. Where have you been all these years?"

"With Tom." I replied coolly.

Dumbledore looked confused. "Tom who?"

"Tom Riddle."

The was silence, before Dumbledore asked, "But who rescued you?"

I blew out an impatient breath. I lose my temper easily. Tom says it's a Gryffindor trait, though I don't know where _he_ got it from. "Rescued me from what?"

"From Lord Vol-" he stopped short when everyone prepared to flinch. "From Tom Riddle."

I shot him a darkly amused look. "I wasn't rescued. I live with Tom."

Dumbledore looked both scandalized and pitying. "Mr. Potter…I hate to have to tell you this, but are you aware that Tom Riddle murdered your parents?"

I was going to be here for a while. May as well have some fun, right? I pretended to look shocked, and betrayed. "He…he did?" I asked in a broken voice, pinching my arm hard so tears well up in my eyes.

Dumbledore looked half triumphant, half sad. "Yes, he did. I'm so very sorry, my dear boy," Since when was I his 'dear boy?' "I know this must be a hard fact to accept, but it is true. We will help you in any way we can. I will personally ensure you never have to return to Lord Voldemort," Everyone flinched, and I forced myself to do the same. "Ever again."

"Really?" I asked in a falsely hopeful voice, eyes wide and shining.

He smiled at me kindly, eyes twinkling full force. How the hell did he get them to do that? A spell? Maybe he had some sort of mental disorder. From his behaviour, I wouldn't be surprised. "Of course. We shall protect you, and I'm sure many Light families would take you in. I saw you talking to Ron Weasley, yes? His family were great friends of your parents."

Ok, now he was taking it too far. I suddenly grinned widely, startling him, and started laughing. "Oh, you fell for it! Silly old man!" I snorted. "Of course I know he killed my parents. I would have to be a blinded idiot not to know so."

They all looked stunned. "But why on earth would you stay with him?" McGonagall cried out, eyes wide.

I spared her a glance. "It's not like I had anywhere else to go," I answered, using the same excuse I told everyone else. "Besides, we're friends. There's no reason I wouldn't stay with him."

"Harry…" Black croaked out, in a broken voice. "He killed your parents. He killed Lily and James."

I looked at Black. Here was a man who lost everything the night my parents died. Who suffered through Azkaban due to the mistakes of Dumbledore, like I had suffered through the Dursley's. We were not so different, I realized, and my face softened slightly.

"I know," I replied quietly. "But he has made up for it several times over."

McGonagall asked in a mere whisper, "How can he have possibly made up for orphaning you?"

I wasn't about to spill my darkest secrets to mere strangers. Tom was the only one who knew about the Dursleys, both though seeing it and through Occulemency lessons. Draco was my best friend in the entire world, but I couldn't tell him simply because I was afraid of what he'd say. Would he think less of me because I was weaker than mere Muggles? And Barty was like an older brother, but any time I felt I could tell him, I chickened out at last minute.

I shifted in my seat a little, but retained a cool façade. "He has raised me, for one. There are other reasons, but they are private and I would rather not tell you."

"He's prob'ly used a curse on 'im!" Hagrid boomed, making several of us jump. "The Imperious, or a Memory Charm!"

I glared at the half-giant. "I am not under any sort of spell." I snapped. I took a few slow, deep breaths though my nose. I couldn't lose my cool, not now.

Dumbledore sighed wearily, looking very old. "Harry…may I call you Harry?"

"No."

"…Alright then…Mr. Potter, Tom does not have your best interests at heart. He merely wishes to use you so he can win the war. Once that happens, he will dispose of you," Lies. "We can help you, if you wish to escape him. I myself, along with many people in this room, was a very good friend of your parents. Professor Black is even your godfather."

I tilted my head to the right as I stared at Dumbledore. "Does it matter if you were friends with my parents? They are long dead. Simply because they liked you does not mean I have to."

Dumbledore decided to go manipulative, unsurprisingly. "Would you not like to know more about them?" he offered. "We could tell you many stories of their days at Hogwarts. Your father was a notorious prankster," Sounded like me. "And had many fun times with his friends. Your mother was a brilliant witch. She was a Muggle-Born, did you know that?"

I nodded. "Of course." I replied coldly. I knew where he was going with this.

"Are you not aware that Tom's cause wishes to rid the world of all Muggle-Borns, like your mother?" How predictable.

"I am aware of that." I replied in a bored tone, getting rather fed up of him trying to send me on a guilt trip.

"And do you agree with his views?" Dumbledore prompted, leaning forward in his chair.

I stared out the window to avoid looking him in the eye. It was dark. I wanted to go to bed, not sit here arguing with a man who dressed like a cross between Santa Claus and a crackpot hobo. "I honestly don't care what he does. My loyalties lie with Tom, and nothing you say can change that."

Dumbledore's face hardened just that tiny bit. "What about the fact that he killed your relatives? That he kidnapped you?"

I felt years of old, pent up anger come to surface, and forced them back down. "First of all, I went willingly. Secondly, I didn't even like my relatives," I paused, shot him a cool look. "Thanks for leaving me with Muggles, by the way," I said sarcastically. "Best five years of _my_ life."

Dumbledore peered at me over his spectacles. I wish I could just rip those glasses off and bash him over the head a few times with them. "Are you aware of what Tom actually does, Mr. Potter? He has murdered many, he would not hesitate to torture and kill you if you ever betrayed him or acted out."

Yes, because what I do every day is not 'acting out'. I sighed, fed up with this crap. "I know what he does. He's Dark Lord, it's his job. And it's a good thing I would never betray him, isn't it?" Dumbledore didn't say anything. "May I go now, _Headmaster?_" I sneered the title. "I'm afraid I have classes tomorrow, and I would like to get some sleep."

He looked at me with unbhinking eyes, before nodding curtly. "Professor Snape will escort you to the Slytherin Common Room," he said quietly, as Severus led me to the door. "Oh, and Mr. Potter?" I stopped as I went to leave, focusing my gaze on the door handle. "You do know your parents were Gryffindors?" I didn't answer him, just opened the door and left silently, with Severus on my heels.

Severus and I waited until we were half-way to the common room before we started talking.

"What a bastard," I complained, scowling up at Snape.

He hummed in agreement. "Yes, he can be quite annoying. You did well, though, you told him only the necessary."

I smirked. "I am going to make his life _hell." _I vowed wickedly.

He spared me a glance, before cringing and shaking his head. "I don't want to know," he muttered, picking up his pace.

Severus directed me to my dorm, which was shared with Draco, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and Theodore. Blaise and Draco had stayed up, while the rest of them had went to sleep.

"Well? What happened?" Blaise whispered, as not to wake the others. I realized I still had my trunk in my pocket, and un-shrunk it beside the bed. Casper was waiting for me, perched on the top of the headboard.

I shrugged at them. "Told Dumbledore who I lived with, what side I was on…he was pretty pissed." They both grinned.

"I'd imagine he would be," Draco laughed. "You going to bed now?"

I shook my head. "Got a few letters to write first. You guys go to sleep, I'll be alright."

They quickly fell asleep once they got into their beds, and I started writing.

_Barty,_

_Put away the arson equipment! I'm in Slytherin. Hat took ages. Tried to decide between Slytherin and Gryffindor, so I just chose for it. _

_I scared a kid on the train. Ron Weasley (his family is so big!) I told him my name was Harrison Crouch, and that you and I were related. He almost pissed himself! It was hilarious, I need to give you the memory some time! _

_When are you gonna visit, anyway? I need to prank the hell out of Dumbledore, I met him today. Don't like him at all. We should shave his beard when he's sleeping, or paint his Phoenix black and green! Or maybe…turn all his robes into Death Eater robes! Complete with a mask that doesn't come off._

_Oh, the possibilities…_

_Sincerely (such a sophisticated word…)_

_Harrison B. Crouch =)_

I gave the letter to Casper, who quickly poofed away with it. While she was gone, I started writing to Tom.

_Tom,_

_I got sorted into Gryffindor!_

…_If you haven't set the letter on fire by now, I applaud you. Nah, not Gryffindor. Slytherin! Dumbles was pretty pissed, I think._

_Speaking of which, he took me up to his office (sounds wrong, I know) after dinner. I got interrogated, too. Did you know people really don't like you? I'd never have guessed._

_Dumbledore's completely mad. And Sirius Black is the DADA teacher. And I met Nymphadora Tonks, she's the third Black sisters daughter. She's a Metamorphmagus, like me!_

_Oh, and on the boat ride over, I kind of…tipped the boat. Not my fault, it's just not sturdy enough to stand a few rocks. Anyway, I almost drowned and your bloody Horcrux took over. Now half the first years are scared shitless off me and I don't even know what it did while it was in possession. Apparently my eyes turned that creepy red colour yours are. That's all I know so far, I need to question Draco tomorrow. Why is this only happening now?_

_You were right! Hogwarts is so much fun!_

_Love (Because I know you hate it),_

_Harry_

Oh, Dumbledore. You're so manipulative. ¬_¬

I think the beginning was very over-dramatic :P I wrote it late at night, so don't blame me! At first, I was going to have it just a simply funny scene, but then I thought, 'Hey, what if I added a little Horcrux into the mix?' And...that's what my exhausted brain came up with. What'd you think? Good or bad?

Ron's reaction to Harrison Crouch really being Harry Potter will come soon. Warning: Weasley tantrum approaching.

I'm gonna develop the characters more later. Mainly Daphne, Theodore (though they won't be super-close friends, I don't think) and Sirius. By the way, woohoo! Sirius is the DADA teacher! How fun.


	31. First Day Of Hogwarts

*Sniffle* I'm sick. Can you believe it? So, yeah, I had time to finish this chapter, which I'm quite proud of, since I had no work to do.

BlackAutumnPhoenix - No way! Harry won't be Light, he won't be turned to the 'right' path. Ever. Don't worry, I don't roll that way XD

JustWriter2 - Hmm...not sure yet. I still need to flesh out Theodore and Daphne and Blaise (I think he's a little bit too 2D at the moment) After that, who knows?

HarnGin - Yup. I guess I should've mentioned that. Heh. Crouch JR killed SR off shortly after Voldie's return, and now Crouch JR had become a very famous Death Eater, similar to the infamous-ness of the Lestranges.

Ddh - Actually, it was Harry who was making fun of Purebloods. :P Also, just so everyone knows, to make this not-so-canon...there is no Philospher's Stone in the story. The Flamels still have it, it isn't in the school. Mirror Of Erised may make an appearance, but it won't contain anything. Just Dumble's being a manipulative ass.

Harry Potter and related items do not belong to me. This is purely for the fun of writing.

Please read and review :3

* * *

My first day of Hogwarts was quite interesting, to say the least.

I got up earlier than most other people - I still haven't broken that habit, though I guess it's a good thing. Trust me, having a Death Eater or even Tom wake you up is horrible. They like to try and scare the shit out of you. Anyway, earlier than most, had to drag Draco out of bed by his feet (he held onto the headboard quite impressively) showered, dressed, grabbed my _Muggle _book bag - which I went lengths to get simply for the fun of annoying the purebloods - and went down to breakfast.

I was in the middle of eating my breakfast when I saw Ron Weasley and two other Gryffindor boys come stalking over. Ron was, predictably, red in the face with fury.

"Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas," Draco muttered to me, glaring at the boys coldly. "Thomas is a Mudblood, and Finnegan's father is a filthy Irish Muggle."

I widened my eyes as they stopped before me, and shielded my cereal with my arms. "They're after me Lucky Charms!" I cried out in an exaggerated Irish accent, promoting a snort from Blaise on my left.

Seamus scowled at me, and Ron started yelling the moment he stopped behind Theodore. "You! You're a traitor to the Light!" he accused furiously, though I could tell he was slightly embarrassed that he had called me a Death Eater. That, or the fact that he almost wet himself in fear of me.

I grinned widely at Ron, causing his expression to falter in confusion. "How can I be a traitor to an organization I was never part of?" I inquired cheerfully, flicking a piece of cereal at his forehead, which caused him to scowl at me fiercely.

"Your parents would be ashamed of you!" he spat, while his two lackeys nodded along angrily. I wish they'd say something, the trio reminded me eerily of Draco with Crabbe and Goyle.

I put on a thoughtful face, then nodded in agreement. "You're right. My parents would be ashamed of me, the child they died to save, and would definitely agree with a boy they had no idea even existed. Bravo, Ronald, I daresay you've grown some brains." I cooed happily. Did I mention I was a morning person? Some people find it annoying, but I can't see why.

Ron went to lunge for me (across the table, no less!) and was held back by the two at his sides. "Why didn't you say who you were? Why did you lie and say you were a Death Eaters son? You're Harry Potter, not a slimy Slytherin!" Ooh! An alliterated insult! How intelligent.

I made a show of peering down at the Slytherin crest on my robes. "Well," I began patiently. "The crest definitely says Slytherin, though I have had some eye problems in the past. I used to wear glasses, you know. And I clearly remember the hat shouting out 'Slytherin', though I have been told before that I have selective hearing," I paused, and glanced around the amused faces of my year mates. "I'm sitting at the Slytherin table, but sometimes I just don't know which way is up, so that may have been an accident. Perhaps you're right, then? Maybe I'm not a Slytherin, after all." And maybe Severus will marry some day.

"You're not!" Ron yelled in frustration. "Both your parents were Gryffindors, it's supposed to be your house!"

I paused as I went to reply, feeling someone stand behind me. Praying it wasn't the Baron again, I looked up.

Snape was looming over us, looking at Ron coldly. "Get back to your table, Weasley, and stop harassing other students. That's five points from Gryffindor." Wow, he was getting tough on the first day. Weasley shot me another hateful glare, and shuffled off to his table with Finnegan and Thomas right behind him.

I went to go back to my breakfast, when hundreds of owls flew in through an open window at the top of the hall. Standing out among them, though, was a huge black and threatening-looking eagle. Or hawk. I couldn't be sure, but it was sure obvious who this bad boy belonged to. Very un-Slytherin of him, though. Or was he doing that on purpose?

It swooped down on the Slytherin table (Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode, a brown-haired girl with a squared jaw, shrieked and ducked) and landed _on_ my plate. Yes, on. So much for cereal, the damn birds' giant talons - or were they claws? - broke the bloody plate into pieces.

"…Nice going." I muttered sullenly, taking the letter off it's leg cautiously, in case it got the idea into it's tiny little brain to crush my hand.

I unrolled the parchment, and smiled slightly. It was from Tom. I recognized the swirly, elegant script, though he didn't even bother to address it to me. How disappointing.

_If Dumbledore tries to take this, he will be unable to read it. It's written in Parseltongue._

_Of course he's 'pissed', as you so eloquently put it. You're in his least favourite house. That's good, by the way, though I don't know what else you expect me to write. I would say congratulations, but I expect all you did was put the hat on your head and swear at it aloud for ten minutes._

_I suspected he would interrogate you. As long as you didn't give away any personal information, you'll be fine. Black's teaching? How cliché. I expect he will keep you behind after class, though, so be on guard. You didn't tell the Tonks girl __**you**__ were a Metamorphmagus, did you? _(I imagine he would be glaring there)

_The news about the Horcrux possession is…very disturbing. Although I don't even want to know why you thought tipping a boat in the middle of September was a good idea, this is very worrisome. There are a number of reasons the Horcrux may have decided now to possess you. Going to Hogwarts may have brought up memories, or activated it somehow. Or you may have just been in a desperate enough situation that your mind was weak enough. Did you think you were going to die? That may have partly caused it. I thought you could swim, though._

_See what the Malfoy boy says, and tell me. I would hope none of the others told a teacher, or Dumbledore, but someone will eventually. It all depends on how badly the soul-piece reacted, though the red eyes will be difficult to pass off as a seizure._

_By the way, I'm still thinking up a suitable punishment for your little fiasco at the train station. You can stay at Hogwarts for as long as you like, but you know I'll get you eventually._

_Sincerely,_

_The Dark Lord_

I grimaced at the letter. So, he was still taking the whole hug thing badly. Looks like I was staying here for summer, then. The cold sarcasm of the letter was nice. To others, it may seem unfriendly, but then again, Tom wasn't friendly. The letter felt very homey. Though, why the hell did he sign it 'The Dark Lord'? To make it look more threatening?

…It kinda worked.

The letter was plucked from my hands by an older, more wrinkled hand.

"May I see this, Mr. Potter?" a falsely cheerful voice inquired, though there was no point in asking seeing as he already had taken it anyway.

I whipped around angrily, glaring at him (I've been practicing my glare, since Rodolphus said it was pathetic) and snatched it back. I knew he couldn't read it, but taking it off me was just downright rude. "No, you may not see it, Headmaster," I snapped, and stuffed the letter in my pocket. "Good God, are you a kleptomaniac?"

Dumbledore stared down at me, no longer smiling. "As Headmaster, I have a right to see all of my students letters." he said in a not-so-cheerful voice that made a very uncomfortable feeling enter my belly. Coldness, I dealt with daily. But something about him being unfriendly was…frightening. I could see why Tom feared him.

I glared up at him forcefully. "I don't see you looking at anyone else's letters. That's an invasion of privacy, sir, I could easily sue you for every penny you own." Yes, I really could do that. Weird, no?

Dumbledore peered at me over his damn glasses for along moment, and his eyes seemed just that little bit colder. He then turned on his heel and walked back up to the head table. The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach stayed.

We got our timetables, and it turned out I had History Of Magic first class. Oh, joy. The teacher wasn't even alive, it turns out. Apparently he died one day and didn't notice, so he just lectures on when no one is even listening. Was the school so cheap that they couldn't hire a living teacher? Apparently, yes.

To my surprise in class, most people were actually keeping quiet. Would he noticed if anything happened?

Casper appeared beside me in a ball of black flames, and several people gasped and stared at her in awe. The teacher continued as if nothing had happened. Guess not, then. I noticed Casper had a letter tied to her leg, and took it off to read. Nothing better to do in this class, anyway. I recognized Barty's scribbly writing, and read on.

_Harrison_

_Damn it. I had a whole entrance planned, and I even researched the spell…_

_Oh, well! I knew you could do it, you little snake! How did Fumbleyfore react? And yes, he's one creepy bitch. I think he's a creeper, which I hope you know the meaning of because I'm certainly not explaining._

_I don't think the Weasley's have heard of contraception. Trust me, there's more than goes to school. Basically the entire family are members of the Order. Charlie Weasley works abroad, and recruits foreign wizards to the Light. Bill Weasley works at Gringotts, and is an exceptionally gifted curse breaker._

_How do I know all of this? …Boss made me find out about the Light families last week. My brain still hurts._

_I think I'll drop by some day this week, if I'm allowed (I sound like a kid) We need to prank the hell out of Dumbledore! I like your ideas, you've learned well. From the best, of course. I thought a little, though, and I have a few ideas too. We could trash his office, cast the Dark Mark over the school…murder a Mudblood!_

_Ok, maybe not the last one. It could be a bit messy, and blood is terrible to get out of clothes._

_See you soon!_

_Sincerely (You're a bad influence on me)_

_A Friend._

Huh. Guess he was worried about the letter being read by someone else. Not that it could happen, of course, since Casper would probably bite anyone, besides me, who tried to take her letter. Ah, I love my Phoenix. I smirked down at the letter, ignoring the many nosy people watching me (Draco kept glaring at them but it didn't work. His glare is also pitiful) and decided to write back later. Barty wouldn't mind, he was usually busy doing _something._

Seeing there was nothing better to do, I gathered up my stuff and left with another forty-five minutes left of class. Everyone else watched in shock, but the teacher didn't seem to notice as I disappeared out the door. Draco and Blaise smirked, but didn't follow. I think Draco wanted to catch up on his lost sleep, and Blaise was busy reading a novel.

I skipped through the halls, and promptly banged into someone about halfway to the Slytherin Common Room. It was Tonks, who looked surprised, then she grinned.

"Wotcher, Harry," she greeted me with a wink. Looks like someone had a catchphrase, then.

I returned the grin. "Hey, Tonks. Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Or did she have a free period?

She shrugged. "I skived off. Potions with Snape is just so…ugh!" Ugh, indeed. She paused, eyed me warily for a moment. "Wait, aren't _you_ supposed to be in class?" Busted.

I mimicked her shrug. "I walked out in the middle of it. Binns is err…dead. He didn't notice."

She laughed loudly. "Ah, History Of Magic is one subject I'll never miss. Except the naps, of course. Where're you heading?"

I nodded further down the hall, which had the staircase that led to the dungeons. "Common room, though I don't know what I'm going to do." Could hardly do homework, I mean, it's not like I had any yet.

She nodded in understanding. "Same, I was going to Hufflepuff Common Room…" she trailed off, then perked up with an excited glint in her eye. "Say, do you have a broom?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Ah…yes…why?"

She clapped her hands in delight. "So do I! You want a little one-on-one game out on the Quidditch Pitch?" They had a Quidditch Pitch? Why the hell didn't anyone tell me that?

I nodded firmly. "Damn right I do! I'll go get my broom, meet you ah…at the entrance to the dungeons," It was halfway between the two common rooms…kind of. She gave me a quizzical look. "I don't know where the pitch is." I admitted.

So, I got my broom (A Nimbus 1300. It wasn't exactly wrecked yet, so I wasn't bothered about getting the recent Nimbus 2000) from my trunk and met Tonks at the dungeon entrance, where she was standing waiting. Well, sort of. She was hopping from foot to foot and grinning like a fool. I fell into step with her as we made our way to the Quidditch Pitch, being careful not to be seen by any stray teachers.

Tonks eyed my broom with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You know," she pointed out in a quiet tone. "I could've sworn first years weren't allowed brooms."

I smirked. "And I could've sworn seventh years training to be Aurors weren't allowed to skive off one of the necessary classes," I drawled lazily. I glanced at her well looked after broomstick. "What model is your broom?"

She looked down at it for a moment, as if to check the brand, before answering. "Comet 260. It's not much, but it can fly decently enough. Your's is a Nimbus 1300, right?"

I nodded. "Yup. Pretty battered…I rarely use the broom maintenance kit the shop gave me." I admitted, shooting her a bemused smile.

She snorted. "Tsk, tsk," Tonks tutted. "You're the first boy I've met who isn't obsessively tending to his broom," she paused, glancing at her own shining broom. "Of course, I'm not one to speak…"

I'd say she polishes it every night before bed, by the look of it.

We flew around for a while, each doing our own little moves to try and outdo the other, then I pulled a silver snitch out of my pocket. It had been a present from Blaise a few years ago, which I usually just let zoom about whichever room I was in to annoy people. It's a bit like having a very loud fly buzz around your head, 'cept whenever you try to kill it, it just zooms off to someone else.

I released the snitch, and we had a few games of trying to see who could catch it first. Tonks only got it about two times, because I let her. She's slightly clumsy, and by slightly, I mean very. She even fell off her broom, but luckily she was near the ground and didn't break anything.

We went back to the ground when the bell rang for second class. I caught the snitch, which was zooming around beside my ear, and stuffed it in my pocket. Tonks and I grinned at each other, and started to walk back to the castle

"You're not half bad a Quidditch." she pointed out, as we made our way back. I think that was a compliment.

"You neither," I returned casually. "A bit clumsy on it, though, aren't you?"

She reddened slightly. "Yeah, I'm prone to tripping," she mumbled, before shooting me a suspicious look. "You know, you never told me you were a supposed dead kid." What a not-so-pleasant change of subject.

I shrugged. "I doubt you'd have believed me if I had," I shot back honestly. "And anyway, what does it matter?"

She hummed in agreement. "Hmm…true. You will get a lot of stick for being who you are, though. I saw that red-headed kid over at your table today. I would've ran for it the second Snape came over, if I were him."

I snorted sarcastically. "And tripped over air after two steps." I drawled. Really, it was likely something that would happen to her. Then Snape would sneer and stalk away.

…I'm around Severus too much. Damn attitude is contagious. Before you know it, I'll be billowing my robes when I walk and sneering at puppies.

We went to part ways near the dungeon entrance, when Tonks turned to me again. "Just for curiosity's sake, where _are_ you living?" I guess I'd but curious too, since I've been supposedly dead for the past five years.

I just smirked at her mysteriously. "You don't want to know."

By the time I got to my next class, Transfigurations, McGonagall had already given her speech. Everyone was seated, and trying to transfigure a match into a needle, by the looks of it.

"Mr. Potter," she greeted me in a strict, cold tone. I guess she still wasn't happy about my living arrangements. "You are late. Explain why."

I couldn't very well tell her that I was flying on the pitch, when I wasn't supposed to have even have a broomstick, because I skipped class, then returning said broomstick to my dorm. "I was err…in the broom closet." I blurted out without thinking. Oh, crap. That sounded very wrong, indeed.

Her eyebrows rose. "The broom closet," she echoed slowly. "And why were you in there instead of in class?"

I shifted from foot to foot, before mentally shrugging. Might as well have a little fun. Smirking at her arrogantly, I drawled, "Madame Hooch is quite the catch."

Giving a very red McGonagall a smirk of satisfaction, I strutted over and sat on Draco's desk. Yes, on. It was a good thing he hadn't bothered to change the match yet, or I'd have a very sore butt. Draco, on the other hand, was covering his mouth with his hand to try and stop himself from bursting out laughing. I noticed a lot of people were, even a few Gryffindors.

McGonagall finally regained her composure, and snapped, "Mr. Potter, detention with me tonight!" How fun. "You are late for class, so get off that table and sit beside…" she looked around the classroom, before her eyes settled on a very nervous looking plump boy. "Mr. Longbottom!" The boy jumped a mile in the air at his name being spoken.

It was then that I recognized that he was the boy from the robes shop. Grinning maliciously at him (Though I was only messing around, he did look like he was going to faint), and slid of the table and skipped over to sit with him.

"Hello, Neville!" I greeted him cheerfully, sitting on the stood next to him.

He looked at me anxiously. "H-Hello, Ha-…Po-…" He was stuck on what to call me. Guess the other Gryff's had already taken to calling me Potter.

"Harry," I allowed pleasantly. "Potter's too formal. We've met before, haven't we? At the robes shop?" Heck, I just needed some conversation. I could already do the damn transfiguration, since I was seven.

Neville bobbed his head a few times. "Yeah, we have…" He didn't get to finish that sentiment, as McGonagall marched over angrily.

"Mr. Potter, you may talk to Mr. Longbottom outside of class!" she admonished. "Do you even know what the task set is?"

I nodded. "Mmm hmm. Matchstick to needle, right?" I feel like a know-it-all.

She gave a curt nod. "If you do not feel the need to arrive on time, or to pay attention, then perhaps you can do the transfiguration?" Ooh, she was trying to mortify me in front of the class. How unprofessional. Death Eaters did that, but, come on. She's no Death Eater.

I grinned at her cockily, and flicked my wand. The matchstick instantly popped into a thin, silver needle. She looked surprised, as she stared at me for a long moment.

"Well…time shall tell if you have inherited your father's talent," she forced out stiffly, giving me a nod of approval and walking away. I stared after her. Talent? What talent? Was my Dad good at Transfiguration?

…Dammit, I needed to find these things out.

Neville looked at McGonagall in confusion. "She didn't give you any points," he realized slowly, frowning at her. "She gave Hermione Granger points, and it took her a while to get it right. She couldn't get it nearly as fast as you."

I shrugged. "Meh. She's probably biased toward Slytherins…or me," I glanced at Neville's matchstick. "You got yours done?"

He shook his head sadly. "I can't do it. It hasn't even turned slightly pointy."

He was right. That match was as blunt as Crabbe or Goyle, the rare moment they decided to talk. I decided to be helpful, since the kid had never really done anything against me. "Here, you do it like this…"

By the end of the class, Neville's matchstick was pointy enough to hurt if you poked someone hard enough. I should know, I tried it on Parvati Patil's back, and she shrieked and almost fell out of her seat. Ten points from Slytherin for that. The matchstick wasn't at all silver, though, so we had to work on that.

After Transfiguration, we had Herbology, which Neville proved to be rather good at. I, on the other hand, sucked. Terribly. We were given a long and slightly boring lecture on dangerous plants, such as Devil's Snare. I'd never been taught about Herbology before, except for the most dangerous plants of all and how to escape death from them. Which was necessary to know, apparently, but Hogwarts didn't teach it to first years. So, I had to actually try and remember the less dangerous plants I had never heard of before, while Neville seemed to know them all. Guess he had a greenhouse or something, then.

After that, we had lunch, in which nothing exciting happened except for me (discreetly) making Hermione Granger's lasagne explode in her face as she ate it. Revenge for calling me short, of course, even though I intended to do more. She ran from the hall sobbing, with the pieces of food stuck in her hair. What made me feel a little bad about it, though, was the fact that, along with most of the school, a lot of the Gryffindor's also laughed at her. I was stuck between going out to see if she was alright, and staying put. I decided to stay, since going out would only shift the suspicion onto me.

After lunch we had Double Potions with Severus, and that was a hell of a lot of fun, let me tell you that. Severus despises Gryffindors, and we just so happen to share that class with them. Oh, the joy of sadism.

I sat beside Draco, predictably, as Snape began his speech in a voice that you had to actually strain to hear.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he said in a very soft and somewhat dangerous sounding voice. I never was good at Potions, but I figured it was probably the same speech he gave me all those years ago, and zoned out. When I snapped back to attention, he was finishing with, "…and even stopper-death," I knew he used that in every speech! "-That is, if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

How hurtful. Draco and I exchanged amused looks, and myself, along with three quarters of the class, jumped when Snape suddenly shouted, "Weasley!"

Weasley almost fell of his chair in startlement, and looked like he was trying not to shake.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of woodworm?" Snape snapped, giving Ron a cold stare. Guess he wasn't a Weasley fan, then. Neither was I, to be honest, but I can't say that I knew the answer to that question. I never was good at Potions.

Hermione Granger, who was sitting in front of him (Lasagne all picked out of her frizzy hair), shot her hand into the air so fast she almost hit her partner in the face.

"…I dunno, sir." Weasley mumbled, going red in the face. From embarrassment, not anger, I believe.

Snape sneered at him, which you probably already guessed, and decided not to stop there.

"How disappointing. Seems your many brothers have not taught you anything," Weasley reddened even more. "Let's try again, shall we? Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Something to do with a horse, I think…or a cow…some sort of farmyard animal.

Granger's hand was stretched toward the ceiling as high as she could make it without getting off her seat, an eager look on her face to prove that no, she wasn't a dunderhead. Snape ignored her entirely, maliciousness focused on Weasley, as Draco was shaking with suppressed laughter next to me. I myself, was trying not to giggle out loud.

"I don't know, sir." Weasley gritted out, his usual temper seemed to be rearing it's ugly head once more. He was so easy to rile up, it really was a surprise he was alive this long. He seemed the sort who would try to attack a lion because it had fur.

"No idea? Very well. What is the difference, Weasley, between-"

Weasley made mistake 1 there. He interrupted Snape, something I learned that you should never, ever do. "I don't know, alright?" he snapped. "Why don't you ask Granger, since she seems to know everything?"

Granger, who had actually been standing up in her want to answer the unasked question, slowly sat back down with a hurt and heartbroken look on her face.

Snape glanced at Hermione coldly, before looking back to Weasley with an even more pronounced sneer. "Well, well, Weasley. Seems you aren't very loyal to your fellow Gryffindor's, are you? None of my Slytherin's would have acted to their housemate in such a manner," Weasley just glared at the table. "For your information, asphodel and wormwood made a sleeping potions so powerful…" Blah, blah, blah. Like I said, I don't care much for Potions.

I was paired with Draco, and by the end of class, we had managed to make a pretty good boiling potion. The reason being that Draco was actually _good_ at Potions, and that I had made it before, so I didn't manage to mess up cutting the ingredients. Yes, cutting. Draco said I could prepare them, and he'd actually make the potion, which was just fine by me. Neville ended up turning his and Seamus' cauldron into some sort of deformed blob, and the potion was seeping all over the floor and burning holes in everyone's shoes. We all ended up standing on our stools, as Neville cowered from a furious Snape.

Next was Charms, where the little Professor Flitwick (I think he was part elf) paused at my name and almost fell off the books he was standing on. He was too small to see the class over his desk, you see. He gave us an introduction, then gave us the task of levitating feathers. Honestly, why was this school only teaching these simple spells now? Especially during a bloody war?

I made my feather fly around the room, for the fun of it, of course.

"What's that up in the sky?" I gasped dramatically, pointing to the feather as it zoomed over Theodore Nott's head. "It's a bird. It's a plane. NO! It's Superman!"

Theodore gave me an odd look, as he glanced from the feather to me. I think he thought I was insane. "Potter…that's a feather." he explained slowly. Yeah, he definitely thought I was mad.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, silly Purebloods…" I sighed to myself, bringing the feather back to me again.

I heard quick and enthusiastic clapping from in front of me, and glanced up into the excited face of Professor Flitwick. "Oh, well done, Mr. Potter! Twenty points to Slytherin for that magnificent display of the Levitation Charm!" What display? All I did was make it fly! "My, you have certainly inherited your mother's talent!"

As Flitwick rambled on and praised me, I tilted my head thoughtfully. I didn't know my mother was good at Charms. In fact, I barely knew anything about her. She was dead, sure, but I still wanted to know what she was like. I needed to find someone who knew about her. Someone who didn't hate me, and who I could stand.

…I'd think this over later.

I noticed several Gryffindor's glaring at me, and I smirked pleasantly. As I put my head down on my arms in boredom, since I was the only one finished so far, I overheard Granger's annoying-by-now-know-it-all voice berating Weasley. I could tell this would turn out badly.

"No, Ronald, you're doing it all wrong! It's Wingardium Levi-_oh_-sa, not Levio-_sah._"

Then Weasley would get mad at being told what to do, and challenge her…

"Oh yeah?" he snapped angrily. "If you're so smart, why don't you do it?"

See?

"Fine, I will!" Granger said haughtily. "Wingardium Levi-_oh-_sa!" I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye to see the feather rise steadily off the table. Quite impressive, for a Muggle-Born. Flitwick clapped excitedly, hopping over to her and showering her with praises. All the while, Weasley was silently fuming.

I pondered for a moment, a slow smirk making it's way onto my face. Granger had no friends. I had no information. Any of the teachers who knew of my parents were Light, on their side. They wouldn't tell me anything if they thought I was some sort of sadistic monster raised by You-Know-Who. Hell, even Flitwick would be hesitant to talk to me outside of class, and he definitely knew something about my mother. He taught her, right?

Granger would be easy to befriend. I hadn't done anything bad to her yet. At least, not directly. She didn't know I was the one who did the lasagne prank. If I was seen with her, the teachers would think there was hope for me, since I talked to a Muggle-Born girl. They wouldn't be so harsh, they'd tell me what I wanted to know.

I had to resist the urge to cackle madly, 'cause that would creep everyone out. This was going to be too easy.

* * *

Before you hit that review button to flame my ass off, read this first. NO, Hermione is not going to be a friend. NO, she probably won't turn Dark. Harry is using her, once he's got what he wants, he'll most likely dump her. I wasn't going to use this idea, because most of you hate Hermione :P But I did, because Harry's a Slytherin for a reason. If it poses that much of a problem, and people hate it regardless if he's just using her or not, then I will take this chapter down and edit it. No big deal, though I have to say I prefer this ending to a boring one.

Please tell me your opinion and criticism's in a review. :)

I'm very sorry Sirius didn't make an appearance, but at the end I realized that I had filled up all six classes for Harry's first day. So, I made a note to remember his class in my next chapter.


	32. Freefall

Fear not, faithful readers! I am alive! I'm really sorry it's been so long since an update, but I got a mixture of writers block and too much schoolwork. Thank you for all the amazing reviews, they are what pushed me to update :) This isn't as long as I would have liked, but I think it turned out pretty well. Funny? I'm not so sure. You tell me, eh? (I think it looks like more of a crack chapter, but whatever)

Q3APo - Yeah, there will be war. But for now, Harry is just a kid. First year. He'll have some drama (as you will see in this chapter) but not as much as there will be later on.

CosmicEssene - I promise, this will NOT be Harry/Ginny. I dislike Ginny very much. If I do decide on a pairing, it will probably be Harry/Luna, since it's really the only couple that I like enough to write about.

Hreft93 - He will have friends outside Slytherin. For this year, I am planning on Neville and the Weasley twins, whenever I find an opening scene for them to actually talk to Harry.

Mutantkillerfrog - I am very happy you pointed that out, actually. It's something I've been worrying about when I put up the last few chapters. I felt I lost the sarcasm base but see...once you lose it, it is so hard to get it back :( I tried to fix it in this chapter when I was in a really good mood, so I do hope you will review and tell me if it's better, worse, or the same. I promise I will try and work on it as best I can in future chapters.

Ladyedgecomb - I loved your review, so I just had to reply to it. Thank you very much :) I do try to keep my own ideas, but at the same time, I didn't care if Hermione was a friend or not. I had an idea, but I have a lot of ideas. Just wanted the readers opinion, since I couldn't decide :P I usually ignore flamers, if they don't like my story, they can piss off.

Dhh - The reason I made him not all sadistic and completely cruel is because Harry is just a kid. He was raised in a place where he was wanted, what reason would there be for him to be a cold-hearted bastard? He disliked Muggles, of course, but he still has empathy for people he may see like himself when he was still with the Dursleys. If I made him a completely Dark character, I would feel it too unorigional (it's been done too many times before) and completely off his laid-back, happy-go-lucky attitude. I didn't make up the Dumbledore part. It's actually true in the HP series. For pairings, see my response to CosmicEssene above. Before you ask, no, it will NOT be Harry/Hermione.

Please read and review.

None of this belongs to me. Not Harry, not the characters, not the song in the middle. Nothing.

* * *

I worked on befriending Granger the very next day. Our first class was Defence Against The Dark Arts with Professor Black. If the name itself wasn't a mouthful, the actual class was even worse.

I had at least 15 sugar sticks for breakfast, which I'm not allowed to eat since they make me 'high'. But, I had no adult supervision in Hogwarts (At least, not one I listen to), and what Tom doesn't know won't hurt him.

We were all waiting outside, because Professor Black was (predictably) late. Honestly, why did the teachers in this school seem so badly prepared? If I had to get up and arrive on time, so should they. Anyway, like I was saying, we were all standing around, and since I got bored, I decided I had the excuse of a sugar high if anything went wrong.

"…I am sixteen goin' on seventeen," I sang loudly, in a very high, out of tune voice.

Most people turned around to stare, and Blaise slapped himself on the forehead.

"Innocent as a rose…"

Blaise thumped me around the side of the head. "Quiet, Potter, you're making a fool of yourself!"

"Bachelor dandies, drinkers of brandies!" I yelled, spinning around with my arms spread out. I banged into something solid and not-a-brick-wall. Abruptly going silent, I peeked up at the person I had almost knocked over. Professor Black stared down at me in a way that made me want to run and jump off the astronomy tower. It was a very uncomfortable stare. Was he a Legimens?

…Nah. The Light side can't afford any worthwhile magic training. Kinda like they can't afford a decent castle. This place was awesome, but I was surprised the damn walls didn't fall down around me.

"…What do I know of those…" I muttered quietly, grinning at him and skipping back to the group.

Black silently opened the door, and we all filed in. I glanced around, and decided I better start on befriending Granger now. I spotted her dropping her bag at a table on the 'Gryffindor Side' of town (or classroom, whatever floats your boat) and bounded over.

"Is this seat taken?" I asked innocently, pointing to the obviously empty chair.

She looked at me oddly for a long moment. "Erm…no…I suppose not."

"Well, it is now." I plopped down on the chair, kicking my feet against the table leg and trying very hard to ignore the curious/betrayed looks of the Slytherin's. The Gryffindor's looked like the wanted me to drown in the lake. Again. I just concentrated in blowing bubbles with my spit, which is a surprisingly effective way to pass the time.

Granger was silently reading over her textbook for a few moments, while I idly kicked, until she snapped.

"Why are you sitting here?" She sounded angry, for some strange reason.

I turned my head slowly to her, feigning confusion. "Would you rather I didn't?"

She glared. "Slytherin's don't sit with Gryffindors. So if you're trying to play a prank on me," God, she didn't know I made the lasagne blow up, did she? "You can go away right now."

I shook my head. "I don't play pranks on people," I said, in a very serious voice. "It's mean." I almost burst into laughter saying that, I had to actually bite the inside of my mouth. Now it was bleeding. Ouch.

Her glare lessened a little, before disappearing altogether. She sighed, looking apologetic. "Look, I'm sorry. I've just been having a really rough morning."

"Why so glum, chum?" I asked in a squeaky voice. I thought I sounded vaguely like I'd inhaled helium. And then some. "Turn that frown upside down!"

To prove my point, I leaned forward and pulled the corners of her lips up. She wore a grotesque looking grin for a moment before she pulled back, still smiling slightly. Guess it worked.

Professor Black silenced us all (though he was nowhere near as effective as Severus) and began speaking.

"You are here to learn how to defend yourselves against whatever dangers may be out there," Black began loudly. Great, another lecture. I already could defend myself, thank you very much. "For some of you, it may be Death Eaters," He sent an approving look to the Gryffindors. "For others…" He looked at the Slytherin's coldly. They glared right back at him. "War can be a tricky business, and we will probably all be involved at some point, so you must be prepared for any surprise attacks that may come. Hogwarts is safe, but other places, like your own homes and Hogsmeade, are not. So you have to learn how to survive. Kapish?" He spoke Italian! I was surprised they could even afford language programmes in this school.

The Gryffindors all nodded, some in determination, some in numb fear. Most of the Slytherins just looked around, seeming not to care at all as to what Black had to say. I idly hummed a soft tune to myself, one I don't think even existed. "Now, I'm going to take the role," Black went on. "When I call your name, say 'Present'."

He started taking the role, stopping at different names, commenting on the families usually, or just giving them looks. He gave Draco a very long and calculating look, bordering on a glare, before moving on. He did the same to Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Daphne, Theodore, and all the other Death Eater children. I guess he was telling them to watch themselves. He commented on many of the Gryffindor's families, and how he knew their parents. Boring stuff, really, though it was good for gathering information.

He came to my name somewhere in the middle, and made a bit of a mix-up.

"Potter, Ja-…Harry." Is it just me, or did he almost say James? This guy was also a friend of my parents, best friend of my father, actually, but I wasn't so sure I wanted to be in the same room as him alone.

I raised an eyebrow at him, and called out, "Here," in a way that sounded like more of a question than a statement. "Though if you're going to mix up my name the entire year, I could always just go jump out the window right now." I glanced over to the window for good measure. It was raining. Maybe I'd make a decent splat.

He stared at me long and hard again, and muttered, "Knew your parents too…" under his breath. Gee, there's a shock.

He went on with the names, asking Ron Weasley if his brothers got up to any good pranks lately (Ron, of course, had said yes and babbled for a good ten minutes), before finally starting the class.

"Now, today we are going to start off with an easy practical," Professor Black announced. Excited whispers all around. It felt like feeding time at the zoo. "Usually we would go over theory of spells for a few classes, but in these times…it's best to learn this spell as soon as possible. Being able to cast it may be a life-saver. Now, pair up."

I turned and raised an eyebrow at Granger, and she reluctantly nodded in agreement. Looks like I had a partner. Once we had all the tables pushed to the side, and were facing our respectable partners, Black demonstrated. I really wasn't expecting anything too exciting, and I was right.

"Now, point your wand at your partner like you would an ordinary stick," There's a big difference between sticks and wands. I should know. My grandmother defined it. "Make a cross-like swish in front of your entire torso, and say, 'Protego!'" How completely and utterly predictable. Protego? That can't even block Unforgivables!

Still, I did it. "Protego!" I drawled lazily, biting back a yawn. A big, silvery shield appeared in front of my body. I had learned and mastered this particular spell years ago. I saw Black staring, and smirked.

Granger was having a bit of a problem with her spell, so I sighed and walked over. "Look, it's like this…"

Stage 1 of befriending Granger was complete. Honestly, I felt like a child predator the way I was doing this. But, it would all pay off in the end. Black was already looking at me better, I could tell.

Another new class we had that day was Flying Lessons. Now, of course, I couldn't bring my broom down, which was just awful. But I guess the school brooms were…flyable. We met outside on the Quidditch Pitch (which kicked ass) and the teacher was Madame Hooch. I thought she looked a bit young to have white hair, but whatever.

"Now, I want you all to stand beside your brooms," she instructed, walking slowly up and down the gab between the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Were all of our classes together? I don't know. "And say: Up!"

"Up!" I sang in a female opera-like voice. The broom shot up into my hand, and I felt a sharp pain. "Ouch!" I switched hands, and checked my palm. A splinter. The damn brooms were falling apart!

Theodore Nott glanced over at me. "Alright, Potter?"

I shook my head, holding my hand. "I'm injured, Nott! It's horrible! It's awful!"

"What is it?"

_"IT'S A SPLINTER!"_

There was silence from our row, then snickers. Hooch marched over, looking annoyed. "What is it, Potter? Hurt yourself?"

I sniffled dramatically, sticking out my hand palm-up. "It's an injury, Miss. That could get infected. And if it does, I'm gonna sue your as-"

"Oh, it's just a splinter, Potter!" Hooch scolded, sounding exasperated. What would she be like later in the year? "Pull it out and you'll be fine."

I glared at her, then yanked it out. A small bead of blood gathered. "I'm dying…" I muttered sullenly, as she went over to help a Gryffindor who couldn't get the broom off the ground. I flicked the little bit of blood off and huffed crossly.

Draco snorted from my left, leaning against his broom. "I can't believe she didn't react to that abomination. My own broom would never cause a splinter. Really, this school needs safer equipment."

"Exactly!" I cried out. "Mines wouldn't either, but of course, first years aren't allowed brooms. Bullshit…"

Hooch blew her whistle. "Alright, now mount your brooms!" We mounted. "And when I blow my whistle again, kick off!"

There was a cry of surprise, and a mop of brown hair started floating upwards. It was Neville. Predictably. He didn't seem to be able to control his broom.

"Come back, boy, you're flying off!" Hooch shouted. Like he hadn't noticed. Neville was way above our heads now, and of course, his bad luck caused his broom to turn him over. He fell to the ground with a sickening crack.

Hooch rushed over, helping him up. His wrist was snapped at an unnatural angle, and he looked petrified. "Oh, no, a broken wrist…I'll be right back, class. Have to get this boy to the infirmary." With that, she rushed off, with Neville sniffling in pain and embarrassment.

Once they were out of earshot, Ron Weasley started loud-mouthing again. "Well, Potter? Aren't you going to laugh?"

I send him a pitiable look. "Now, why would I laugh at someone else's pain? I'm a little too young for sadism, believe it or not."

Ron went to retort, when I turned away from him and to Draco. "He's getting old, isn't he?" I asked.

Draco nodded, sneering over a Ron. "He's been boring me for a while now."

I had a sudden idea. "Ooh, let's do something fun!" I said excitably. The sugar rush had started to wear off, but I had eaten a good few bowls of sugar for lunch…

"…Like what?"

I hopped onto my broom. "I wonder how long these things can fly before they collapse…" I wondered aloud, steering the broom just above everyone's heads. "Coming, Draco?"

Draco smirked, and hopped onto his broom. He zoomed past me (though not very fast because, of course, the school brooms suck)

"You'll get in trouble!" Granger shouted.

"So?" I called back.

Pavarti nudged Granger. "Who cares? He'll lose house points, it'll put us in the lead!" she pointed out.

I didn't stick around to hear any more, I just shot after Draco, grabbing my snitch out of my pocket, though I couldn't remember how it got there. "First one to catch it wins!" I announced, letting it go.

Draco paused. "Wins what?"

"…I dunno, just catch it!" It was right then that I noticed the snitch was directly below us, hovering a few feet above the grass. It wasn't moving. It did this sometimes, I think it was a glitch from when I tried to turn it into a rabbit for Transfiguration practice. Once it stops, you have to close it and open it again to get it to actually move.

Draco went to chase it, but I grabbed him on the way by, almost making him fall off his broom. And trust me, we were a fair way up. And it was raining. Like I said earlier, a decent splat would be made. "But there's a rule! You have to catch it without your broom!" I yelled, so everyone else could hear.

There were gasps below, and a few mutters containing words like 'die' and 'splat' and 'insane'.

"You're crazy, Potter!" someone yelled. I glanced down. Theodore Nott. Hmm.

Draco stared at me. "He's right, you are mad. Do you know how long it takes to make a new body?"

I thought of Tom. "A few years?"

"And that's for an adult wizard! Think of how long it'll take us!" Draco complained. "Everyone we know will be dead by the time we come back!"

I pondered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh. I'd rather go out in style, anyways. See you at the bottom." With that, I turned around and jumped off my broom, hurtling toward the ground with my arms pressed tightly to my sides. My hair whipped around my face, flying back over my shoulders. I thought this would make a pretty sweet Christmas card photo. The ground came closer and closer at a fascinating speed, and I wondered if Draco was right behind me.

…Probably not.

I spread my arms as I sped toward the ground, reaching out for the snitch. I was filled with a wave of adrenaline, this was stupid, but so worth it. The adrenaline was overcome by a familiar feeling of dread and…losing control. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…

That was my last thought before everything went black. I was a mere few feet away from the dew-covered grass.

* * *

Whoo...crappy dramatic cliffhanger. Will Harry live? Did he even hit the ground? Find out...next time I update.

Harry and Sirius have not formed a relationship yet. I know. I don't want to rush things, at the moment, it is strictly creepy teacher/student. (Don't the that little slash symbol in the wrong way o_O)


End file.
